Band 6+: Some people believe that the best way to control accidents on city streets is to lower the speed limit but others think there are more important issues that need attention before roads can be safe. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Traffic accidents have been a major concern to citizens and governments, and people have been debating how to best tackle this issue. Some argue that lowing the speed limit is the best way, while others believe there are other important issues that need be addressed first. This essay will discuss both viewpoints before concluding that the combination of promoting road safety and toughening traffic law enforcement is best way to reduce traffic accidents.

It is true that a lot of accidents result from high driving speed and therefore it seems intuitive that lowering speed limits will be effective in reducing accident occurrences. Driving at lower speed will give drivers more reaction time in case of road emergencies and help avoid collisions. Additionally, lower driving speed will limit the collision impacts and reduce the damage to vehicles and drivers, if collisions happen. In fact, many major cities including Tokyo and Beijing have lowered the speed limits within the city streets aiming to reduce traffic accidents. However, it is not clear whether lower speed limits have led to significant reduction in traffic accidents.

Others argue, while acknowledging lower speed limit has its merits, that there are more important issues to address to ensure road safety. Governments can implement lower speed limits, but this does not necessarily mean the drivers will honor them. This gives rise to a more important issue – public awareness on road safety. Some drivers simply do not respect the speed limits and do not focus entirely on the road while driving. They at times check their text messages and voice mails while driving. This shifts their attention and makes accidents more likely to occur. Promoting road safety awareness will help drivers form good habits and help them understand their role in public safety, but this alone is not enough. Stricter traffic law enforcements such as more traffic stops and more speed cameras as are necessary as well to deter bad driving practices and enhance driver’s understanding of the rules.

In conclusion, while lower speed limit can help reduce traffic accidents, I believe it is more important to promote public awareness of road safety accompanied with tougher the law enforcements on traffic violations. The combination of measures is more effective in reducing traffic accidents.