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A great many people most likely see themselves as honest citizens. They don't slaughter or steal. Be that as it may, individuals do violate laws sometimes, blatantly or otherwise without considering the consequences.

Either from ignorance or lack of concern, individuals submit these 10 infractions pretty frequently.

1. Playing music for “commercial purpose”

The Copyrights Act gives the Singers the right to receive a royalty for the "commercial use" of their songs. This includes both live performances as well as record playing’s. So restaurant owners, radio shows, DJ's and so on should be aware and only play music for which they have obtained permission for. One will be sued if found to be violating the Copyrights law. Play the music, face the music, it is.

2. Not wearing helmet while riding a bike

This is one of those laws everyone knows of, thanks to the fines that are charged by the police, (albeit, sporadically), in spite of which it is continued to be disregarded. Considering the fact that bike accidents account for 29% of the total road accidents, it would be wise to wear a helmet which reduces the risk incurred by 90%. But despite this, a recent survey conducted last year revealed that 57% of the bike riders in major cities do not wear helmets. This blatant disregard is going to injure us in the long run.

3. Downloading images/videos/music from the internet

The owner of a copyright for a book, movie, music, or photo is the only party with the right to make use of the material. The internet, mass media, nor mobile phones can change nor alter this fact. Our ignorance and disregard for intellectual property rights in this regard, has ended up putting us amongst the top 5 nations in the in terms of the amount of online piracy. Torrent and other such sites have tried to go past copyright restrictions, but the fact is piracy continues to be a fundamental violation of laws that guard intellectual property rights.

4. Not wearing the seatbelt

It is mandatory for the person sitting in the front-facing seats of a car, which includes the driver as well as the rear-sitter to be wearing the seat belt according to the Motor Vehicles Act. This is highlighted in the seatbelt statistics across the world which shows that 98% of the drivers in Europe wear seatbelts, whereas, only 28% wear them in India. This seems to be a societal conditioning problem, also an implementation problem. Something as simple as wearing a seatbelt could prevent 15 road accidents every day.

5. Using non prescribed medication

It is sad that the practice of self-medication, or taking medicine without a doctor’s prescription is very prevalent. Many parents also medicate their kids without the consultation of a medical practitioner. It's against the law to buy medicines without having a prescription, considering exceptions. Despite this, more than 50% of us buy medicines without a prescription. This is an alarming number, and already an increasing number of unfortunate incidents have occurred as a result. Consumers along with law enforcing agencies must be more vigilant to control this menace.

6. Parking in no parking area

Whatever the reason might be, if one is caught by the traffic police with one’s car or bike, one is liable to pay fine to the traffic authorities, as provided by the Motor Vehicles Act. Why can’t there be "parking zones" when there are "no parking zones" is a question that must be pondered, especially by the Ministry of Urban Development, to formulate better guidelines for smooth functioning of road traffic.

7. Using plastic bag

Twenty Indian states have a total ban on production, supply and storage of polythene bags and other plastic items such as cups, plates, spoons, glasses while five states have a partial ban. The use of a plastic bag can attract fines--from Rs 500 to Rs 25,000-- and storage and distribution can lead to imprisonment for up to five years. We still generate 5.6 million tonnes per annum of plastic waste. This is one clear instance, which highlights the gap between law-making and law-enforcing. Find out if the state you're living in has a complete ban or a partial ban. And whatever it might be, the truth of the hour is that plastic usage is self-sabotage. Carry one big cloth bag whenever you go to buy something, just as you carry your mobile phone when you go outside. It's that simple, really.

8. Driving without license

This is one law that is definitely seen to be broken. Currently, the minimum age for riding a 2 wheeler in India is 16 years, and for a 4 wheeler, it is 18 years. To prevent this, kids must be more patient, parents more discerning, police more vigilant.

9. Connecting to Wi-Fi without permission

It might seem to be a harmless act, to use a neighbour’s Wi-Fi without their permission. But it is not. Because it is against the law in India to use Wi-Fi without permission of the owner of it, according to the Information Technology Act, and is liable to pay compensation and even get imprisonment in some cases! And this new information will successfully prevent any future ideas.

10. More than one pillion rider on a bike

Again, this is something that most citizens are not aware of. The Motor Vehicles Act makes it mandatory that only one pillion rider is allowed with the driver, on a 2 wheeler. Not only that, but the seat must be securely fixed to the motorcycle with appropriate safety measures. Anyone found to be contravening this rule, will be penalized with fine.

Part of the reason why these laws are not even known, and are ignored despite having knowledge of them is because there is a mentality that a rule will only be followed only if everybody follows it. Also, placing convenience over law has become the norm in society since time immemorial. But is the society the only aspect to be blamed for this? Another aspect that is chosen to be disregarded, along with the law, is that, in the absence of effective law enforcing authority, any law will be rendered meaningless.

Author: Bhavana Maddineni