Some people think that strict punishment for driving offenses is the only way to make roads safer. To what extent do agree or disagree?

It is believed that imposing severe penalties on

drivers

who violate traffic laws is the only viable measure to improve

road

safety. I strongly disagree with

this

statement because there are other ways to deal with

this

problem. There is no doubt that punishing

road

offenders can contribute to safer

road

conditions to some extent. If

drivers

were severely punished, they would be aware of the consequences of their behaviour,

thus

becoming more accountable for their behaviour

while

driving, which could lead to a lower accident rate.

However

, punishment alone is unlikely to eliminate irresponsible driving as

accidents

are caused by a complex set of different factors. Most

accidents

occur

due to

drivers

' misperception of risks: they assume that inattentive behaviours

such

as drinking a small amount of alcohol or occasionally answering the phone

while

driving will not lead to a devastating impact.

In addition

, a few

accidents

occur

due to

drivers

' poor driving skills, causing them to react incorrectly to unexpected conditions.

Therefore

, in order to reduce

road

accidents

, more effective measures should be taken.

For example

, if governments reported more incidents caused by minor acts of inconsideration,

drivers

would be more aware of the potential risk of careless driving,

thus

becoming more disciplined.

Drivers

should

also

be encouraged to equip themselves with the skills to deal with urgent problems on the

road

. In conclusion, based on the above analysis and evidence, imposing heavy penalties on divers is not the only way to improve

road

safety. The Government must take a more holistic approach to

this

issue.