How closely do you adhere to the law?

[Raven's Nest]

Well now let's see;

Speeding offences - 140mph in a 70 zone - check
Driving without insurance - check
Driving without an mot - check
Driving a car without permission - check (technically)
Failure to stop at an accident - check (accidental)
Driving with out due care and attention - check
Driving whilst under the influence of alcohol - check
Driving whilst under the influence of drugs - check
Dangerous driving - check
Traffic violations - check

Sex with a minor - check
Voyeurism - check
Sexual harassment - check (apparently)
Indecent exposure - check
Lewd and illicit behaviour in public - check
Sex in a public place - check

Drunk and disorderly - check
Underage alcohol purchasing - check
Drinking in a public place - check
Providing alcohol to a minor - check
Underage tobacco purchasing - check
Providing tobacco to a minor - check
Breaking a public smoking ban - check
Public order offences - check
Loitering - check
Threatning behaviour - check

Wasting police time - check
Lying to a police officer - check
Verbal assault to a police officer - check

Carrying a lethal weapon in public - check (apparently)
Assault and Battery - check (self defence)

Copyright infringement - check
Hacking email account - check
Online harassment - check

Tax record fraud - check
Insurance fraud - check

Shoplifting - check (accidental)
Theft from a workplace - check

Arson - check

Possession of class c drugs - check
Conspiracy to sell class c drugs - check
Distribution and sale of class c drugs - check

Jay walking - check

Illegal purchase of fireworks - check
Dangerous use of fireworks - check

Conspiracy to commit fraud - check
Conspiracy commit theft - check
Attempted theft - check

Okay that about sums up the list of offences somebody I know as committed. Now the real question is... How much of a law abiding citizen is this guy or does this represent pretty much the criminal resume of most teenage/early 20's male?

Also, some of the more eyebrow raising entries do have reasons and excuses. This is just an in the eyes of the law account. Oh and they were never caught/prosecuted for any of this.

 

[babinro]

I'm lawful-good by nature.

Despite that, I've broken several laws that would apply to a great many people my age (not that it makes things right).

Namely petty things like J-Walking, biking in incorrect zones (the sidewalk, gasp!).

Ares Lite provided me with music and movies for almost a decade as well.
I always had respect for the gaming industry though. Could never bring myself to pirate a game. Go figure.

 

[SquirePB]

I am the Law!

But drunk me seems to have a thing for street signs and traffic cones.

 

[gh0ti]

I certainly wouldn't report a crime unless it was doing someone harm. I'm sure I've committed a bunch of petty crimes, many of them probably by accident.

Still, I do actually dislike the idea that speeding is OK and that it's a victimless crime. For me, speeding is not so different from drink-driving. Both make it more difficult to react in time to sudden changes on the road. Both are victimless... right up until the point that they aren't.

Think about it. If someone knocked down one of your loved ones would you really care whether it was because the driver was drunk or just busting the speed limit? Would you think "Oh, he was only speeding. At least he wasn't drunk"?

Despite that rant, I'd support raising the speed limit on UK motorways - where you generally have much more time and space to adapt due to the size of the road.

 

[Starik20X6]

I tend to speed unintentionally. When riding a motorbike you somehow feel like you're going slower than when you're in a car. Other than that I tend to follow the law(s that make sense). Morals and ethics, as well as common sense, tend to take priority though. I didn't need a law to tell me I shouldn't go on a stabbing spree.

Captcha: Be Careful. Thanks Captcha, I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for cops tomorrow!

 

[Mr Fixit]

"It is only illegal if you get caught" Thats my view on the subject. I've hosently bent the rules many times & as long as it doesn't hurt anyone then thats fine. Laws simply keep honest people honest. Major crimes & such is a different story....

 

[Angie7F]

Law and ethics really isn't the same thing.

But at the same time, I do things that are not ethically correct too.

I am still yet to be convinced why murder is a bad thing to do too, especially when in war, murderers can be heroes.

 

[theblindedhunter]

I prefer to follow the law, but I often go against it. I notice this most biking to and from campus and my home.
If I'm in no rush, I tend to obey the law, except for when it holds a better chance of getting me killed by an idiot driver. (You find, when you bike, that basically every driver can be considered an idiot driver. It's just the nature of rolling around in a death machine.)
But when I can essentially tell that it is favorable to me and either a non-issue for others or favorable to them, I disobey some traffic laws. I usually don't get off my bike to walk crosswalks because it tends to be safer to take them quickly, getting out of the way of drivers and not confusing people who actually manage to pay attention to what pedestrians beside them are doing. I often don't signal (when I'm on the road and it calls for it) because the chance of that actually helping someone in the situations where it would, compared to the chance of it making me less stable and a greater danger to everyone, is much lower.
On that note, past a certain point in my trip I don't ride on the road. There isn't enough room on the road and care in the motorists for me to have any delusions about surviving such a thing. That, however, is legal outside of the business district of town. It's just a little murkily so.

There are a few other laws I've disobeyed once or twice, generally things that shouldn't be illegal in the first place. I'm not saying it's related to what I just said... but trying marijuana really isn't a big deal.

 

[Signa]

I'm of the opinion that the OP is a greater scumbag than these neighbors as they are described. I'm not of the opinion that "laws are made to be broken" and all that other nonsense, but there are a lot of laws out there that serve no purpose but to just control people for no reason. Sometimes, there is a reason, but no one defines within that law the exact circumstances it's meant for. Jaywalking damn well had better be illegal, because how else would you ticket the dumbfuck that crosses a busy road? "Busy" is a very subjective term, so it's easier to just write the law that says "NO ROAD CROSSING!" than to define traffic flow through number of cars present and their present speeds.

 

[FamoFunk]

I break a few laws everyday, just like quite a lot of people.

Some laws I adhere to because I don't want to be an asshole, as I don't really want to steal people's possessions or beat the crap into them/kill them.

 

[Gordon Freemonty]

OP:

The law isn't always right.

 

[NightHawk21]

Depends what they're doing, but if you're just reporting any illegal thing well you're gonna be thought off as an ass. I did a quick search to find an article that would've been good for this topic, and I couldn't find it I found another that says the average american breaks 5 laws/day, or almost 2000 laws a year (mostly likely the same ones multiple times). So like I said before think long an hard before you start reporting people since it wouldn't be particularly difficult to find dirt on you too.

 

[Cazza]

You need to live next to your neighbors. If it's minor and they could just get a fine or a 1 year prison etc not a huge punishment. Guess what. After that punishment or during (not jail time) If they know I told the cops on them. They will hate me. This could result in anything thing from never wanting to see or be near me (okay whatever I don't want to talk to them anyway) or they might insult and yell at me. Threaten me. Damage my things or me.

I'm the kind of person who leaves people alone and whats to be left alone.

 

[BodomBeachChild]

Unless it's murder or rape what you do in your free time if your own choice. I try to follow the law as close as possible, but no way am I ever not going to break the law.
I have a sneaking feeling, like others, this is about pot. If so guess what? More people than you will ever realize smoke weed. Some may even shock you.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Let's just say that I follow the spirit rather then the letter of the law.

 

[Sougo]

What? Don't pretend you haven't snuck around on rooftops in the dead of night, dropped down behind that unsuspecting, tiptoed upto to him, pulled out that concealed dagger, and ..... unlocked that achievement.

Yeah, I haven't ever gotten so much as a traffic ticket.
In fact I roam the streets looking for jaywalkers to report to the authorities. Just because the chicken crossed the road and made it doesn't mean they're gonna as well.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

Everyone is liable to break the law at some point in their life. I do kind of trivial, selfish crimes, like I'll speed well past the speed limit if there's no one else on this stretch of road and I know I can get away with it.

On a superficial level, you can say I don't hurt anyone and thus it's okay, but truth be told, in a world where Murphy's law is in effect, the 80-mph-speeding-metal-deathtrap in a populated suburban area still had the potential to do some serious and terrible damage to myself and everyone else. To be honest, victimless crimes only exist on a superficial level, because everything has a chance to go horribly, horribly wrong.