Road safety concerns!

Is rash driving the only factor leading to an accident? 

Do sterner punishments deter crime?

It’s quite obvious that careless driving and traffic rule violations result in accidents and stringent punishments will reduce the mishap numbers. However, rash driving is not the only factor triggering nasty road accidents. There are other factors such as dilapidated roads and bad weather that affect road safety adversely. 

Poor road condition is one of the major reasons for road casualties. Narrow and pothole-ridden roads with, sharp curves, often force even the law-abiding drivers to make mistakes. Hence, drivers alone cannot be blamed for road mishaps and punishing them in such cases is no solution. Government should make strategy to improve the infrastructure. Accident- prone turns should be taken care of, narrow roads should be widened, and potholes should be repaired. More traffic signs and signals should be made operational to reduce the road accidents. 

Furthermore, climate is also a major cause of accidents. For instance, poor visibility due to mist and rain, slippery roads because of snowfall make driving difficult and cause serious accidents. Poor visibility triggers so many accidents on Agra expressway in winter. Imposing sterner harsh punishments for on drivers will be futile in handling such problems. Rather, modern technological innovations can help address such emergencies. 

However, imposing harsh punishments will definitely limit reckless driving. Over speeding and breaking other traffic rules also result in large number of accidents. Drunk-driving has resulted in many road fatalities and injuries. While I admit that strict punishment for drivers would be an effective measure to some extent, it should not be considered the only means for road safety. Measures must be taken to address problems where drivers are not at fault.