Growing up in a mixed semi-rural area, it was kind of weird and maybe a little dangerous not to have a pocket knife. Are there places where carrying a pocket knife without using it is automatically illegal?
Yes, of course. Lots of them.
In Spain carrying with you any pocket knife with blade > 11 cm (or any automatic pocket knife <11 cm) is illegal unless you have a special permit for that.
You can have it at your home as a collection, but not in public spaces. Having one can be reasonable in some activities (ej police will not care normally if you scuba dive with a knife but will frown if you carry it in the front seat of your car when returning home)
Urban knife crime has resulted in certain areas having "stop and search" for knives, usually targeted on the suspicions or prejudices of the officers doing the search.
It was also weird and slightly dangerous growing up in North London and not being allowed to carry a knife. Less dangerous than prison though.
*should clarify the law states it's a certain length, so Stanley knifes are ok, pocket or flicks. Non.
However I'm all for trying to focus in on solutions to stop drunk/buzzed/drugged out driving (and other activities that take lives of families and children). Even if that includes 100% vehicle breathalyzers (as in mandatory even without prior drunk driving records).