A Proposal For Harsher Traffic Penalties.

With six million car accidents occurring per year within the United States alone it appears to me that driver education is not the problem, but the means by which the education is transmitted. Whether it is a driver’s test preparation booklet, an ad highlighting the importance of safe driving, or a billboard emphasizing the dangers of texting while driving, the information never seems to reach the individuals who need it the most. Only after dramatic car accidents do the people, who once thought they were immune to the perils of reckless driving, finally understand the importance and civic duty of taking driving seriously. Having had a close friend be hit by an irresponsible driver, and still suffer PTSD from the incident, I know that radical change must be made so that traffic laws are more closely obeyed.

There will always be bad drivers, and it does not matter how much driving education they are put through: they may understand the rules but cannot physically or mentally follow them. Unfortunately, I do not believe that there is an effective way to transmit information on road safety guidelines to these people. While I disagree with the current methods, trying to force-feed the information as if reckless drivers will suddenly change their ways because of it, I myself do not have a solution to the problem that would improve on such methods. I do, however, possess a solution that throws out the need for the intense peddling of driver education and would be an ideal solution for many states with more lax traffic laws.

Most states have a monetary penalty for texting while driving of around $25 to $100. It is in my opinion that these are not enough. Utah has fines upward of $750 for texting while driving, and Alaska goes even further having punishments go as far as $10,000. This, to me, feels like the ideal solution: heaving harsher penalties for breaking traffic laws. If all states were to implement a $10,000 fine for distracted driving and publicly show that these laws were being strictly enforced then it is quite possible that this could work to reduce accidents and violations of traffic laws. This would also emphasize that driving is a privilege, not a right, and if proper driving cannot be maintained then that privilege will be taken away. While my plan is heavily policy-based it does not entirely revolve around giving up on the drivers’ education system.

While I believe there are many flaws to the current system of educating would-be drivers I do not believe that the subject should be ignored entirely. I do recognize that it has importance: showing the rules of the road, ensuring (to a degree) that every driver is qualified, and teaching the basics of how to operate an automotive vehicle. Thus, I believe that all states should require a minimum of 50 hours of supervised driving (a number that most states already implement, save for a handful) and have 10 of those hours be dedicated to night driving so that the student driver can become acclimated to both environments. To ensure that drivers have retained the information that they were taught during this 50 hour training period drivers should be required to undergo 10-hour driving lessons every 10 years with 2 of the hours taking place at night.

I hope that my ideas regarding traffic laws have resonated as I know I am hardly the only person to hold these convictions. The lack of care that I see from many drivers is infuriating, and proper legislation being put into practice is the only way to make them care. I believe part of this disillusionment toward safe driving practices stems from the romanticization of driving. It may sound silly but many mediums depict driving as some sort of state of being akin to true freedom. In reality, however, the purpose of driving is to get from point A to point B. People treating the road as their own personal playground is not only selfish but dangerous to those around them.

Regardless of whether or not my ideas ever become implemented, they most likely will not, I will make sure to constantly review changes in traffic laws and revisit the existing ones. Other than that I do not believe there is anything else I can do to be a better driver. As long as I follow the laws, always be attentive to my surroundings, and continue to practice my driving I should be more than okay.