Tort law plays it part, along with ethical, criminal and commercial sanctions. Of course, many risky ventures have social utility, and we judges need to remind ourselves of this when pressed by plaintiffs to expand existing bounds of liability, for example, in the field of professional malpractice and in relation to novel duties to control the conduct of others. With this little excursion into tort law, I return to driving on the left hand side of the road. A general perception that deliberately driving on the right hand side is wrong, dangerous and potentially risky to personal liberty is therefore a partially effective compliance mechanism for the individual citizen. But government and business organisations will have additional reasons to be concerned with compliance with such laws.
Accidents have direct and indirect costs which can quickly mount up for such organisations.
The goal of good corporate citizenship is valued for a variety of reasons and this adds a further incentive. It is therefore hardly surprising that many enterprises put signs on the back of their vehicles inviting motorists to telephone in to report infractions by the driver. This is a voluntary compliance mechanism. A compulsory mechanism, that is one imposed by law itself, is the requirement that certain vehicles display their own maximum speed limit. This is another example of law seeking to achieve its own compliance.