As more and more people drive cars in major cities, the number of serious accidents grow each year. Some people believe that the best way to address this problem is to reduce the speed limit on city streets while others disagree and think that there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed to keep people safe. Although speeding is an issue, I agree that more needs to be done to ensure that everyone can travel without fear. This essay will consider the different viewpoints before deciding what is the best solution.
There are some that see speeding as the main reason why people are involved in motor vehicle accidents and think that driving slower would solve the problem. Indeed, if people maintained a safe speed throughout the city, the risk and frequency of traffic accidents would clearly be reduced as the faster a car travels, the more damage it can do to whatever it hits. Many cities around the world adopted very low speed limits over the last decade and there is some evidence that there have been fewer incidents and far fewer serious accidents within the city limits.
However, there are others who would say that the problem is more about people driving while distracted and that heavy penalties to address this issue would be more effective in improving the situation. It’s hard not to notice that many drivers are looking down at their phones and not at the road while driving. The dangers of not paying attention are obvious and, in fact, the number one cause of traffic accidents in recent times is reported to be distraction as people text or email while they are in the driver’s seat not watching where they are going.
In my opinion, both views have merit but the best way to solve this problem is to make sure the government provides the funding for law enforcement. Without the manpower and budget for crime detection and policing to catch offenders, many will continue to break the texting and speeding laws if they know they can get away with it. Cities that have allocated enough money to their police force and empowered them to come up with ways to catch distracted and aggressive drivers have made their metropolises safer.
City streets need to be safer for everyone and speeding and distracted drivers are a problem. If the proper funding is given to law enforcement to catch and punish those who break safe driving laws, city dwellers will feel more at ease on the roads.