It is often argued that raising the minimum age at which people can drive cars or ride motorbikes will improve road safety. While I agree that this will somewhat solve the problem, more efforts should be put into nurturing people’s awareness of traffic problems and the feasible consequences thereof.
On the one hand, raising the bar to the legal driving age could reduce the incidents of reckless driving on the road and therefore make sure that the road is safe enough for everyone. This is because many teenagers do not take full responsibility for their own and other’s safety and often commit driving offences. Even if they cause traffic accidents, they just do not have enough legal capacity to be responsible for those accidents and the ones who suffer injuries or even fatalities therefrom. For example, in Vietnam, there have been cases where teenagers do not wear helmets, speed and ride their motorbikes in the wrong lanes. These teenagers, however, are not incarcerated if they crashed and kill other people.
On the other hand, to change the situation for the better in the long run, people should be educated about the consequences of driving carelessly. Images and billboards that feature real-life consequences of traffic accidents might be displayed on roads where accidents often take place. This visual evidence might deter people from driving recklessly and causing accidents. Also, schools at all levels could be asked to have training programs about traffic rules in their curricula and these should be repeated every year so that the rules can be embedded in students’ minds. These programs might then culminate in projects where students apply what they have learned to spread their awareness to their communities.
In conclusion, although restricting the number of people who can drive by their age can make the experience on the road safer for everyone, it is more important that people be educated about what they can and cannot do.
It is
often
argued that raising the minimum age at which
people
can drive cars or ride motorbikes will
improve
road
safety. While I
agree
that this will somewhat solve the problem, more efforts should
be put
into nurturing
people’s
awareness of
traffic
problems and the feasible consequences thereof.
On the one hand, raising the bar to the legal
driving
age could
reduce
the incidents of reckless
driving
on the
road
and
therefore
make
sure that the
road
is safe
enough
for everyone. This is
because
many
teenagers
do not take full responsibility for their
own
and other’s safety and
often
commit
driving
offences
. Even if they cause
traffic
accidents
, they
just
do not have
enough
legal capacity to be responsible for those
accidents
and the ones who suffer injuries or even fatalities therefrom.
For example
, in Vietnam, there have been cases where
teenagers
do not wear helmets, speed and ride their motorbikes in the
wrong
lanes. These
teenagers
,
however
, are not incarcerated if they crashed and kill other
people
.
On the other hand
, to
change
the situation for the better in the long run,
people
should
be educated
about the consequences of
driving
carelessly
. Images and billboards that feature real-life consequences of
traffic
accidents
might
be displayed
on
roads
where
accidents
often
take place. This visual evidence might deter
people
from
driving
recklessly
and causing
accidents
.
Also
, schools at all levels could
be asked
to have training programs about
traffic
rules
in their curricula and these should
be repeated
every year
so
that the
rules
can
be embedded
in students’ minds. These programs might then culminate in projects where students apply what they have learned to spread their awareness to their communities.
In conclusion
, although restricting the number of
people
who can drive by their age can
make
the experience on the
road
safer for everyone, it is more
important
that
people
be educated
about what they can and cannot do.