Societies are governed by laws—yet it’s possible to think of laws only regarding criminal offenses. In reality, laws affect our daily activities in some oblivious ways. Think of some of your daily activities, and if you check, there’s a law affecting that activity. For example, your cereal breakfast was made with consumer laws in mind. Such laws ensure fair treatment of all parties and reduce cases of negligence. Discover 10 daily activities laws that affect your life and community.

1. Estate Planning

Estate planning is one of the 10 daily activities laws affect. It involves arranging and managing one’s estate (assets, properties, and affairs). The arrangements happen during their lifetime and passing. Through estate planning, one creates legally-binding documents. The documents include wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.

The planning ensures your assets are distributed well to meet your desires. It’s best to work with estate planning professionals to ensure compliance. If you don’t put an estate plan in place, the state laws will determine asset distribution—even if it doesn’t align with your wishes.

The land you live in once had a different owner—even if it’s an apartment. Thus, estate planning intersects with property ownership laws. A law must have determined how the property got to its current owner through transfer or inheritance. Estate planning laws guide asset distribution in marriage, divorce, and blended families.

Decision-making laws also come into play during estate planning. For example, if a loved one was going through an end of life terminal illness, you or another loved one might be involved in their healthcare journey. Through a last will and testament attorney, estate planning allows for the transfer of ownership.

2. Workers’ Compensation

According to Statista, by June 2023, in the U.S., about 136 million people will work as employees. Indeed, work is a perfect example of the 10 daily activities laws affect. Unsurprisingly, labor laws are voluminous, with thousands of legal professionals working to ensure compliance. Workers’ compensation laws allow workers injured while working to get compensated. Compensation may be in the form of medical bills, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs. It encourages employers to ensure safe working conditions for employees. However, they vary from one jurisdiction to another.

Before the modern worker’s compensation laws, injured employees had to go through many loopholes to be heard. However, the work landscape has tremendously changed. There are laws and non-aligned professionals, such as workers compensation lawyers, ready to help workers get justice.

Compliance officers such as OSHA specialists may visit some workplaces to ensure they meet all standards and requirements. Employers who don’t comply with these labor laws can attract massive penalties and fines. Also, in an increasingly competitive marketplace, an employer may lose employees to other hiring companies if they don’t comply.

3. Environmental Guidelines

You produce waste, smell in the air, and use energy daily. EPA guidelines govern all these activities. Thus, the environment and anything related to it are among the 10 daily activities laws affect. These guidelines aim at protecting the environment, humans, and bio-life and ensuring sustainable practices. For example, you may not be consuming ocean water, but that’s where fish and sea creatures live. Thus, relevant bodies such as the EPA may have guidelines on waste to ensure it doesn’t end up in the oceans. However, these guidelines affect everyone from individuals to businesses.

One of the biggest daily activities with a significant impact on the environment is waste generation. For example, according to the EPA, Americans produced 292 million tons of waste in 2018 alone. Without guidelines, such waste would end up in landfills, waterways, and public parks. Even though the U.S. is yet to deal with all the waste produced, these laws help minimize the impact. As the world becomes more aware of the impact of human activities on the environment, businesses are also becoming more compliant with these laws.

4. Criminal Cases

Most people know that laws are there to deter people from crime. Unsurprisingly, personal behavior is one of the 10 daily activities laws affect. While you may be oblivious to it, everything you do daily is subject to the law—even if you are at home.

For example, did you know you could soon land in the laws’ jaws for simply turning up your music volume? Nolo—a legal advice platform, says your neighbor can sue for noise disturbance in a small claims court. Of course, that would only happen if they have exhausted all means of resolving the problem.

Personal behavior is the main factor behind criminal cases. Someone breaks into a neighbor’s house; they get arrested for theft and burglary. Some employees fail drug tests—they may face drug possession charges. If a man assaults his partner, they may face a domestic violence criminal case. While these are often extreme cases, many people without a prior record get charged in criminal cases because of personal behavior while going about their daily activities. Apart from following your moral compass, it would help if you also read laws affecting you individually so you are never on the wrong side.

5. Civil Disputes

Sometimes, two people can meet and agree about something, but laws may govern how they resolve conflicts. For example, the state may not be involved when two business people make a contract. However, if a dispute arises, a civil court may be involved in settling it.

That’s why civil disputes are some of the 10 daily activities laws affect. These are legal disagreements between entities that arise from non-criminal matters. They include family law matters, business agreements, and property disputes. The outcome of the dispute resolution may be monetary compensation and injunctions.

Civil dispute laws affect how individuals, entities, and corporations contract. They also shape property rights, ensuring the right owners get justice. A resolution may be a specific action, such as a jewelry appraisal. While civil disputes are about non-criminal matters, they can become criminal cases. Non-compliance with civil laws can result in lawsuits, court orders, and fines. Further, disregarding civil laws can undermine justice in society and exacerbate conflicts.

6. Medical Mishaps

According to the CDC, eight in 10 adults and nine in 10 kids will visit a physician once a year. That means seeking medical advice and treatment shapes daily life in America. It’s no wonder medical treatment is one of the 10 daily activities laws affect. There’s a good reason for this—millions of Americans could be at risk of medical mishaps without proper guidelines and oversight. Medical mishaps happen when physicians don’t meet the standard of care—resulting in patient injury. The laws govern practice, but they also come into effect when a mishap has happened.

A good example of where such laws affect people is cosmetic dentistry. Such laws ensure patients are protected and healthcare providers can provide care. Without such laws, substandard medical supplies, untrained providers, and a desire for profit would put millions of Americans at risk. Even with such laws, some patients still have to deal with medical mishaps, from sharp objects left in the stomach to the wrong medication. In such cases, the laws help them get justice through compensation, payment of medical bills, and delicensing of medical practitioners.

7. Business Deals

Every day, people buy consumer goods and consumables. These are often the result of business deals. Business deals may include partnerships, sales contracts, mergers, and acquisitions. Businesses must make certain legal considerations when doing such deals: due diligence, negotiation, and contract drafting. One of the 10 daily activities laws affect is corporate transport. The law may affect competition, fair trade, intellectual property, and consumer protection. Without such laws, competing corporations would take advantage of many customers.

Business deals also affect labor laws. For example, an acquisition may lead to massive layoffs that leave employees stranded. Thus, such laws are in place to ensure business people have a public interest in mind when making deals. Non-compliance with these laws can have significant consequences for businesses, including contract disputes, legal suits, and financial problems. Consumers may choose not to engage in a business because of its reputation. For example, customers may avoid a business that doesn’t pay its workers on time.

8. Large Sales

Have you ever considered laws when selling an old laptop? Probably it wasn’t in your mind. However, selling—especially large sales—is some of the 10 daily activities laws affect. Selling happens every day, but therein lies the possibility of crimes, risks, and poor practices.

The law ensures the rights of different entities are protected. In terms of law, large sales involve large and valuable assets. They involve the exchange of huge amounts of money and significant contractual agreements. Large sales impact daily life by influencing ownership and rights. Some specific laws, such as real estate laws, may affect how such transactions are done.

Compliance with large sales laws ensures fair compensation for both parties. For example, a specific law governs trade if you see a used cars for sale sign. The Federal Commission on Trade has stipulated the Used Car Rule to guide buyers. Such laws protect buyers’ resources and sellers from fraud and wrong information. A party that doesn’t follow such laws can be subject to legal sanctions and liabilities. Further, disregarding such laws can erode trust in the sale process and lead to reduced sales.

9. Dog Injuries & Bites

Dogs are probably the most popular pets in America. Thus, they influence daily life in America. Yet, they can cause some issues that concern the law. According to the American Veterinary Association, there are about 4.5 million canine bites annually in America.

Without laws, bite victims would have to pay out of pocket for medical treatment. Although these laws vary by jurisdiction, they have something in common: establishing the liability and responsibility of the dog owner. Thus, these laws will have leash laws, dog owner negligence, and designations for dangerous dogs.

A dog owner may be liable for skipping animal hospital appointments that lead to the injury. That’s why dog ownership is one of the 10 daily activities laws affect. Dog laws affect multiple aspects, including insurance. For example, in recognition of the likelihood of a dog bite on their premises, many homeowners opt for pet liability insurance.

If dog owner doesn’t comply with such laws, they can face legal consequences such as lawsuits. Besides, it could affect relationships between neighbors and impact their right to dog ownership in the future. That’s why it’s essential to go through pet ownership training to make you a responsible dog owner.

10. Injuries From Accidents

We may not expect accidents, but the law anticipates them and makes provisions for different scenarios. Thus, though unplanned, accidents are among the 10 daily activities laws affect. Car accidents alone not only affect millions of Americans each year but also cause fatalities. But accidents are not limited to highways. Slips and falls at home, residential fires and workplace mishaps are all accidents. The one common thing about these accidents is injuries. Injuries limit our ability to work, increase our medical expenditure, and put us in pain. It’s only fair that there are laws governing accidents.

Some laws may focus on the prevention of accidents. For example, a law may require rigid fall protection in senior adults’ homes. Others may govern traffic flow and driving behavior to prevent accidents. However, others focus on responding after an accident. These laws affect daily life because accidents happen every day. Some insurance companies, legal and medical professionals spend their careers responding to accidents by the law.

To bring it all together, laws affect our everyday life. Humans cannot coexist without such laws. While some focus on criminal matters, others, such as contract laws, focus on non-criminal issues. However, disregarding laws, including civil laws, can lead to legal consequences such as fines and sanctions. Most people can go through life without knowing all the laws affecting their daily lives. Luckily, some professionals are experts in certain laws and can represent you even if you don’t know all the laws. You need to have a lawyer on speed dial if you don’t have a family attorney yet.