I have never been in either the USA or Great Britain, so I cannot comment on possible trivialities of the road Ordenances of the respective countries, but here in South Africa where I live, the Acts (Laws), Road Ordenances and Road Rules have a purpose. Broadly speaking they arrange orderly and save road use for all people.
Failure to comply may cause injury, damage to property or death to one self or other third parties. The last is pretty final, with no "Sorry" or other excuses changing the outcome of that. We don't do parking tickets unless you park unlawfully. When you enter a parking area and the parking is not for free, you either pay when you leave, or you leave on foot, simple as that. You know that up front, so no excuses. Apart from fines for minor offences, you will loose your licence for serious offences. As was said in a previous post by someone else, here a licence is not a right, it is a privilege. You will have to wait for the prior determined period to lapse, before you can apply again.
Yet we have an appalling track record in regards to offences, accidents etc. As we speak, the death toll on South African roads for the period from the 1st of December up to the 18th exceeds 700.
Traffic offences are not trivial matters, they matter, because people's lives matter.