Whether stricter punishments is the only way to prevent accidents from happening on roads has triggered a controversial debate Attitudes towards this issue vary greatly. It is wiser to take a closer look at both sides before I present my opinion.

Advocates firmly believe that it is sensible to impose stricter penalty on those who break the traffic rules. Drivers will be more careful when they consider the punishment hard to afford. As the fine is not high,it is not deterrent¹ . According to a survey , among the drivers questioned , 65% of them admit that they pay more attention to driving if more serious punishments are carried out .

Opponents, however, hold the view that there are other aspects which can decrease the frequency of accidents. Firstly, road constructions should be more rational. Nowadays, more and more roads and highways are being built, but some of them were not designed appropriately, which sometimes cause traffic accidents. Secondly², pedestrians³ should heighten their safety awareness⁴ while crossing the roads . Some pedestrians disobey rules and regulations, which should assume the responsibilities of accidents and be penalized⁵. The last but not least, the growing amount of private cars is a contributing factor, the government should put forward some feasible means to control the number of cars ., such as imposing⁶ higher tax or limiting the cars running on roads at rush hours .

As far as I am concerned, I am in favor of the latter view. Only stricter punishment is not insufficient⁷ access to decrease accidents., other methods should be enforced simultaneously⁸ , such as reinforcing supervising and setting digital camera on roads .