My father's death
isn't unique. It's tragic to report that accidents like his are
common occurrences. Traffic accidents have affected 6 million people
directly in 2015 and have likely affected millions more indirectly.
My father was one of 35,000 killed in a motor vehicle crash in 2015.
The reason unsafe drivers act the way they do is lack of punishment
and their mindset that they are not a danger. I was one such person
who had this mindset that I wasn't a "danger" until I was
pulled over for speeding. There was nothing about the interaction
that shifted my perspective. To the officer and I, it was nothing
beyond a routine stop. The price of the ticket was what motivated me
to make a change. The ticket cost me approximately 120 dollars, and
this caused a shift in how I perceived speeding. The government needs
to pay more attention to speeding and dangerous driving as a
significant and grave threat.



The first and most prevalent issue is speeding, a majority of drivers
speed, this must change. If drivers in the united states hadn't sped
at all in 2017, 9,000 people would still be alive, and death rates
would have dropped by 26%. As I previously mentioned, the best
solution to most traffic issues is to implement more appropriate
punishments. Speeding's current punishment is highly suitable. The
flaw in our system is how often drivers are caught speeding. Drivers
know they won't be caught speeding because they never get pulled over
for speeding. The solution is to implement a new technology that
recognizes license plates and combine this with speedometers placed
strategically along major roads.



The second most prominent cause of accidents are those caused by
drivers who are under the influence, ill, fatigued, or sluggish.
Accidents caused by those who are unwell can be avoided easily if
another person gets involved. These people are required to find
someone to drive or drive the other person themselves. There is no
way to enforce this solution other than the morales of the
individual.



The third and final cause is debatably the root cause for all other
accidents. This cause is due to the failure of the DMV and how they
test drivers. The DMV tests skills that most drivers never use, such
as how to properly perform a 3 point turn or how to back up 50 feet.
The DMV needs to take prospective drivers onto the road for extended
periods to see how exactly they behave behind the wheel.