A Red Light For Scofflaws Essay

There are many laws out there that many people do not know about, therefore, are unintentionally breaking the law. While this may not seem like a huge deal, the amount of people breaking these laws is huge. People litter when they have trash, or jaywalk when the timing is convenient. Frank Trippett, in his article, “A Red Light for Scofflaws”, explains that millions of people break smaller laws everyday. Trippett is right, because the amount of people breaking the law is insane, and these laws were made for a reason. Most people think nothing of throwing their trash on the street or crossing the street in the middle of traffic. It is done so much that it seems like a normal thing to do. Trippett, in “ A Red Light for Scofflaws” says that this is a growing problem. Trippett states “When it comes to tax codes, or laws against littering or speeding or noise pollution, more and more ordinary citizens are becoming scofflaws [people who casually break the law]” (Trippett). The only reason these laws being broken is a big deal is because of the amount breaking them. For example, if cities were so clean that there was not a single piece of trash on the street, or in any public place, littering might not be such a big deal. However, most cities are riddled with trash. It is not one of those things that they do not want done just because. If littering continues to grow, the result could be catastrophic. Another …show more content…
The effects of breaking these laws, if on a large enough scale, can bring large consequences. For example, the litter scenario. Littering affects the world we live in. It can turn any green grass lawn into a dying grass lawn. It can harm the wildlife that surrounds us. Another example is jaywalking. Thousands of traffic accidents have happened because someone wanted to cross the street quick rather than walking around to the crosswalk. Actions have consequences, and sometimes, there is going