I think there is a fruitful discussion to be had about whether the "social contract" is legitimate or simply a post-hoc justification for the status quo, but th

I think there is a fruitful discussion to be had about whether the "social contract" is legitimate or simply a post-hoc justification for the status quo, but that seems like a grandiose topic for a discussion about the specifics of national laws. The more accurate answer is: because the state holds the monopoly of violence and will use it against you if you don't follow its laws. Resistance will result in punishment. The reason courts have the power to make you do as they say is that if you don't, eventually armed people will come to your home and incarcerate you. Short of an armed insurrection there's really no way to avoid this unless you're Jeff Bezos (and even then you won't get away with everything but the consequences will likely be less unpleasant).