Minor rules you'd bring in with far reaching consequences

[BursarsDriedFrogPills]

What seemingly minor rules would you introduce that could make a bug difference?

I'd make it illegal to sell coats (for any age) that didn't have some kind of reflective strip somewhere on the back and on at least one sleeve. On these dark mornings and early evenings I've lost count of the number of pedestrians, dressed in black or other dark colours, ambling across the road (not at a crossing point), oblivious to the fact they are nearly invisible to oncoming traffic.

I think if this was a unilateral rule, clothes designers would rise to the challenge to make stylish coats with flashes of reflective stuff. It could quite cool.

So what would your minor rules be?

Long haul routes to have at least 1 flight a day where children are banned

Minor; I would make all election ballot papers have a box for ‘none of the above’ and have the total reported. Spoiled papers cover deliberate and accidental spoiling, whereas I’d like to see protest votes properly reported.

Not-so-minor; I would make voting compulsory, and subject to a small fine for non-compliance, say £10. (And make postal votes freely available.)

The floor at the top and bottom of escalators to have a clearly marked area saying ‘keep clear’.

All houses build after today with a garage, must have the garage large enough to fit a modern typical family car, plus all the junk usually stored in garages - lessening cars parked on the street, as people just dont use their garages.

"RON" as a voting option on all ballot papers.

All speakers, microphones and other broadcasting equipment to have an automatic max on output between 11pm and 7am.

Policy 1: When politicians promise something in their manifesto that they don't deliver on, they get imprisoned for fraud and have 42% of their wealth removed.

Policy 2: Men who walk around topless in summer will be arrested immediately and will be forced to pay a hefty fine.

Policy 3: Death penalty for anyone found guilt of cruelty to animals.

Policy 4: Everyone to agree that a woman is an 'adult human female'

E

Sorry @ColdRainAgain but I can't get onboard with this:

All houses build after today with a garage, must have the garage large enough to fit a modern typical family car, plus all the junk usually stored in garages - lessening cars parked on the street, as people just dont use their garages

I don't drive so a garage is a massive waste of space for me. Plus, we should be making car ownership harder (at the same time as investing in public transport) given its impact on the planet.

That's fine @ToeNailSoup. Maybe it needs to be regionally looked at. Round here, there are zero houses without a car. Most have 2 cars. Opposite have four.
The closest bustop to my old place of work was 2.5 miles. 4 miles to the nearest bustop from DH's work. Sort out the transport, and we'll look at dropping a car.

Televisions should sense if nobody's watching and turn themselves off automatically.

Everyone physically able must spend a fixed period of time using the roads as a cyclist (in all traffic conditions/weathers), before getting a driving licence.

Anyone pressing the pedestrian crossing when somebody has already pressed it/it is lit up, has to wait for the lights to go one full cycle again.

(Ditto repeatedly jabbing the button. Ditto both rules for lifts)

I'd put ina big crane like those arcade games over every yellow box junction and any car stopped on one would get lifted up and dropped out of the way.

I'd second the bikes must have bike lights on - fixed ones that come on automatically when it's dark enough. If cars can have them why not bikes.

Anyone wearing a hat while driving a car would get a spot fine.

And any tradesman would need to turn up to appointments if they've made one and if they commit to providing a quote should be forced to actually provide a quote.

@BuzzShitbagBobbly

Anyone pressing the pedestrian crossing when somebody has already pressed it/it is lit up, has to wait for the lights to go one full cycle again.

To complement this, people who are the first to rock up at pedestrian lights but don't press the button should be forced to wait at said lights for three full cycles while passing drivers, cyclists and pedestrians call them 'knob' at various decibels.

@WaningGibbous

Why the objection to hat wearing drivers?

Fantababy Wed 20-Nov-19 21:37:05
I'm pretty sure food and drink is banned on the subway in Hong Kong and it's immaculate.
It is. And in Dubai.

People should all take their seat in the theatre with time to spare and in seat order so no one has to squeeze their sweaty body past mine whilst spilling their drink on me and treading on my feet.

clearsommespace

People who drive while wearing a hat are always shite drivers. Known fact They are either too old, too cold or too cool to pay attention to the road. That driver in the hat going 40mph all the way along the NSL road and then through the 30 limit village? Too old. The driver in the hat with the 5cm square of cleared ice on his windscreen? Too cold. The driver in the hat with the double exhaust pipe driving through the red light? Too cool. Look for it and have my bias confirmed

I completely agree with PPs that cars should have speed limiters. If commercial vehicles such as lorries/vans can only go up to 70, cars should as well.
Too many tits driving above 80 IMO.

I would also make shops have a certain width for their aisles so that wheelchair users & prams can get through safely.

Also, parking ON the pavement, so a wheelchair & pram cannot safely pass, should be a 3 point licence fine.

Cars driven by people who leave big gaps in traffic should spontaneously combust when a certain distance is detected.

The Eton thing: I would go further. If you attended a school in the Headmaster's Conference, you may never stand for Parliament, receive public monies, or hold a directorship of a plc. Unless, and this the big one, that school had a 25% intake of looked-after children and was fully accessible under the Disability Discrimination Act.

when I am president:

mandatory euthanasia of any dog left out to bark for more than a few minutes. Followed by lifetime ownership ban.

Any dog owner spotted not picking up, or bagging and leaving, to have the contents of the bag rubbed over their clothes. Second offence - over their face. I will happily do this, I've got gloves.

And YYYY to lifetime driving ban for anyone caught using mobile phone at the wheel.

less seriously

• female clothing to be sold with measurements, not stupid random sizing
• legal requirement for all underwear ranges to include something plain white with no ugly itchy lace or other pointless trimmings
• ban on ads saying that smart meters save you money (it's a lie)
• all perfume ads to have a caption saying 'this stuff smells horrible and won't actually get you laid, and BTW why do the models walk like that?'

Cars driven by people who leave big gaps in traffic should spontaneously combust when a certain distance is detected.

WTF? I hope that isn't what you actually meant...

I would also make shops have a certain width for their aisles so that wheelchair users & prams can get through safely.

Addendum: if you think a supermarket aisle is the perfect place to stop and have a lengthy chat to 3 other mum friends with buggies, you will all be asked to leave the premises and come back when you are actually going to do some shopping.

Thanks @WaningGibbous
I will conduct my own mini-survey

@mencken im voting for you

waning you've missed two very good reasons for hat wearing.

1. when driving an ancient vehicle that doesn't have much in the way of heating.

2. closely linked to above, because you're a bit of a tramp that doesn't bother getting changed or confining mad hair before driving.

Namely my reasons. I'll back your rule provided exceptions are made for people like me that happen to leave their ancient winter yard wear on.

Definitely not cool, usually disgraceful and full of horse hair.

Definitely not old as I'm under 40.

Definitely not a shit driver, passed my hgv licence wearing one as soon as I was old enough.