It is argued that the most suitable way to make road transport safer is making the drivers take a driving test each year. I disagree with this statement as i believe that the main reason behind poor road safety is not the driver’s lack of understanding about driving but his carelessness regarding traffic rules.
It is true that making drivers take a driving test occasionally does have some positive effect. Those who do not know how to drive can be taken off the street so that accidents caused by unskilled drivers are reduced. But the main reason behind road accidents is drivers ignoring the traffic rules such as driving while drinking, not following traffic light regulations, not wearing seatbelt etc. For example, over 80% accidents in Nepal were found to be caused by drivers who drive while they’re drunk. In such cases, making drivers take a driving test can have little to no effect on making road transport safer.
Various other alternative measures can be taken to increase road safety as such properly implementing traffic rules. Deploying traffic officers in regular distance, deploying traffic lights, checking driving documents etc. are some ways to do so. Those who do not follow these rules can be charged fines to avoid such violations in the future. For instance, over 83% of drivers were charged fines in a city in Singapore when driving documents were checked for the first time, but this number fell to below 20% when checked for second time.
In conclusion, there are several alternative measures to measures to make road transport safer that prove to be more effective instead of making drivers to take driving tests each year.