Which laws are most often ignored or broken? Kyle Chambers, Crewe
Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
Readers reply
It’s not the frequency (Kenneth) that counts. According to the very highest officers of government, it’s perfectly appropriate to break the law. Just as long as it’s done in a very specific and limited way. dylan37
DI Burnside of Sun Hill police station summed it up definitively in 1985: “Everybody is guilty. It’s our job to find out what they are guilty of.” TheSingleMeerkat
I invariably ignore Cole’s Law when it turns up on my plate. Mobilepope
Speed limits. asparagusnextleft
Driving and using a handheld phone more likely. YorkshireExPat
While speeding. asparagusnextleft
Around here, it’s the law that says you can’t park on a yellow line. Apparently this law is nullified if you put your hazard lights on. Richard_J
Round these parts you can park on a double yellow line and/or the pavement if you are visiting the local bodybuilder shop where they sell that protein stuff by the hundredweight. Local parking attendant doesn’t go near them! esja
I’m pretty sure from recent observations that Land Rovers and Range Rovers must come with waivers that allow their owners to park them wherever the hell they like. ShakeyDave
Riding bikes on pavements. YNWA2020
Careful now. You have just broken the law that says cyclists must not be criticised. Ray_Hatton
From the figures I’ve seen, about twice as many pedestrians are injured each year by motorists driving on the pavement as by cyclists riding on the pavement. For deaths I think the disparity is far greater. One would have to conclude then that “driving cars on pavements” is the bigger problem. formerlefty
Is it still officially illegal (as it used to be) to use a flashing red rear light to make sure your bicycle gets noticed? Certainly a widely (and sensibly) ignored law. gallerymouse
Not attending archery practice after church on Sundays. YorkshireExPat
Often claimed to be speed limits on the roads. There are surveys that show 90% of vehicles in the new 20mph zones are over that limit. It’s not that the longer established zones are doing a lot better: 52% are over the limit in 30mph zones; 48% over 70mph on the motorway. Other motoring offences almost certainly rank high too. I used to drive home along a stretch of suburban road that was largely unlit; there was enough traffic the other way to notice cars with headlight out. Nearly every night they were frequent enough that I saw two in a row, and one or two nights a week I got a three. leadballoon
Cannabis is nigh on being legal by default, isn’t it? It certainly smells that way whenever I’m in town, anyway. ShakeyDave
Selling alcohol to someone who is drunk. MartinBorodin
Milk in the mug before steeping. Eww. Mistica
Drivers using mobile phones and texting. asz0001
The ones that have stayed on the books because it’s too much trouble to remove them, but are completely outdated. When I was growing up there was a kid’s book on them – for example, it is illegal to play the fiddle in Massachusetts (thanks, Puritans!), and while duels to the death on the Boston Common are permitted on Sundays if the governor is present, it is illegal to cross the common without carrying a shotgun, in case of bears. Newton, MA, has a law that says the mayor must give every family a pig, but apparently he doesn’t do that any more. I bet England has a few of these, too. Thomas1178
I came across this a long ago:
Read the Top 10 list of laws people break, with a percentage of how many people have broken them:
1. Sang Happy Birthday in a restaurant (48%)
2. Drank alcohol under the age of 18 (47%)
3. Sworn or gestured to other road users (40%)
4. Eaten or drank while driving (39%)
5. Vacuumed between the hours of 6pm and 8am on a weekday or 1pm and 8am on a Saturday or Sunday (36%) MartinSilenus
Not most common, but I’d just like to say I’m a stickler for public urination. High up the list, I’d say. Nathan_Pollard
Not sure that reads back the way you intended. Dorkalicious
