Every place in the world has laws. They are usually used to protect people and properties, and generally they most of the times they exist to define how a proper citizen should behave. However there are times you come across a law so bizarre that you can’t but stop and wonder “What in the bloody heck were they thinking?”. Here are some of the laws that even the most abiding citizens broke without even knowing.
Are you sure you know the Law?
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Tax discs. As of October 2014, it is now illegal to ‘transfer’ car tax when you are selling or buying a second-hand car. Anyone that wants to sell his car, must immediately let the DVLA know or else face a fine of up to £1000.
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Horn misuse. Everyone has honked at least once to let the people around you know you are annoyed. Well, according to the police, you should only use your horn to warn people of a danger, and not to show your feelings about how the guy in front of you is driving.
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TV licences. This one is a little obscure. You don’t need a license to use your TV to play video games or watch your DVDs, but according to the law, you must have a licence to view anything that is streamed live. Even if you don’t have a TV and you are just streaming from you laptop.
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Bad references. Usually employers ask you for references along with your resume. Thing is, your past employers can’t give you bad references unless they can back them up. You can have the court judge if their claims hold any value.
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It’s illegal to be drunk in a pub. This is a law that you can come across often enough. It’s not actually illegal for someone to be drunk but, the law states that the owner or the barman cannot allow “drunkenness and disorderly conduct”. Meaning it’s illegal for someone to buy or offer you a drink if you are already drunk.
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Street singing. According to the Metropolitan Police Act of 1839, it is illegal for anyone to “sing any profane, indecent, or obscene song or ballad” in the streets. That can definitely be a blow for football fans or stag parties.
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Knocking on a door and running away seems like an innocent children’s game, but as of 1839 it is illegal. It is an offence to willingly knock on a door or ring a doorbell, unless you have a lawful excuse to do so.
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Washing lines. Another fun law passed in 1839 stated that it is illegal to “erect a washing line across any thoroughfares in the city”.
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Mat or carpet rug shaking. It seems that 1839 was a busy year for the Metropolitan Police since there is another law passed that year that is yet to have changed. According to it, it’s illegal to shake or beat any mat or carpet rug in any street in the Metropolitan Police District.
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Lane hogging. In 2013, minister Stephen Hammond warned that any drivers found hogging the middle lane in motorways, tailgated other drivers or were using their mobile phone while driving, would face three points on their licence and on the spot fines.
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Queue jumping. If you ever find yourself waiting in a long queue for the new iPhone, know that you can press charges for the guy trying to cut in ahead of you.
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Unattended alarms. Lets say you are out of town and you have an alarm installed in your house. If someone breaks in, the alarm goes off and there is no one there to turn it off eventually, then according to the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act of 2005, you just committed an offence.
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Salmon handling. The law is quite simple, it states that it is illegal to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances. However it is also quite vague and has been used in an oddly broad way because of its wording.
Ignorance is No Excuse
Or at least that is what you will hear the police or the judge tell you, after all the laws are free and available for all to read. If there are so many laws that you weren’t aware about in your every day life, then consider contacting a lawyer from one of the many Law firms in your city. Remember “A good lawyer knows the law, an excellent lawyer knows the exceptions”.