Not driving like a maniac and hurting people and damaging property is one thing. But because traffic tickets are a source of revenue, the city has no incentive to make traffic laws sane or simple, especially in large urban areas. In Chicago, the latest craze is speeding cameras near schools and parks because "think of the children" and any park or school is fair game. Likewise, many intersections are no right turn on red between 730am and 730pm. So if you see it's safe to turn and don't see the sign, tough sh*t buddy, you just got nailed. In many streets, it's ok to park on one side of a residential street but not the other if you don't have a permit sticker. In from out of town and take a spot on the wrong side? Tough luck. The sheer number and complexity of the rules trips up the most careful of drivers. Here's the rub... if you care about defensive driving etc and get nailed anyway, it leads to resignation and resentment; it is easy to conclude that it takes superhuman levels of awareness to avoid getting a ticket so why bother? Not conducive to traffic safety. So it's not about traffic safety, it's about cashing in on the traffic safety system, and everyone knows it.