Laws shape behavior even among those who violate them

Evidence

Obedience and disobedience are not matters of black and white. There are all sorts of shades of gray. We have used the example of speed limits before. The speed limit is sixty-​ five on many interstate highways, yet by custom, sixty-​five means (more or less) seventy. Many people drive at seventy; some drive even faster. Technically, all these drivers are violating the law. But what if the speed limit were raised to seventy-​five, or if there were no limit at all? In this case, no doubt some people would drive at eighty-​five, or ninety, or one hundred. Probably, then, the speed limit has some effect on the behavior of driv­ ers, even though they “disobey” this law. It seems to dampen some of their passion for speeding. How much is an open question. — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law, 1047

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Even weakly enforced laws redirect how violations occur — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 1046; Most legal behavior involves using law rather than obeying it — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 1041; Legal prohibition shifts normalcy even for those who still practice the behavior — , The Rod and the Child: A Global History…, 7963 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Legal prohibition shifts normalcy even for those who still practice the behavior #exemplifies (0.95) — , The Rod and the Child, 7963
• Legal prohibition plus community normative work shifted behavior even in a non-welfare-state, diverse society #exemplifies (0.85) — , The Rod and the Child, 7363
• Legal prohibition causes attitudinal change rather than merely reflecting it #corroborates (0.80) — , The Rod and the Child, 10919