From The Margins:

Some laws can be nonsensical and obsolete. But once they are in the books, instead of revising them, we often choose to ignore them.

If you’ve ever driven on Chevy Chase Drive and have tried to actually stick to the 15-mph speed limit, you’d know exactly what I mean.

Going up to my friend’s house, I followed all the posted speed limits last week. First there was the 35-mph speed limit. Fair enough, it was manageable. Then there was the 25-mph speed limit. This was tough, but I followed. And then there was the 15-mph speed limit. My car, which by no means can be considered a modern machine, does not even have a speed marker to indicate 15 mph. There is 10 and then there is 20. I had to guess where the 15 would be. I don’t know if anyone can accurately manage this speed.

I also tried going 15 mph on the way down. It was an even more hopeless task. It would be faster if I parked the car on the side of the road and expected Einstein’s Law of Relativity to get me home in an infinite amount of time.

Why do we have laws that are not followed and are rarely enforced? Why not raise the limit to a round figure of 20 mph or 30 mph and cite offenders regularly.

Let’s be honest, as it stands, most of city’s population is breaking the law on Chevy Chase, and they are all subject to being pulled over by the police at any time. As a matter of fact, if I were a police officer and saw a resident actually driving at 15 mph, I’d be suspicious. I’d think, either they don’t have insurance, are under the influence or asleep behind the wheel. I’d pull them over whether they were above or below the limit.

For the time being, I’d rather be stopped for following the law.

Fortunately, all laws aren’t obsolete. During 2007, the California Legislature approved a series of laws that sound very reasonable.

Have you ever followed a driver who slowed down at green lights and sped up as the light turned orange/yellow, leaving you behind at the red light? How about a driver who had his turn signal on forever, only to suddenly turn the opposite way at an intersection? Or how about the one who ignored the fact that he could actually turn right on a red light? When you pulled next to the inconsiderate individual, did you discover there was a cellphone glued to his ear?