IELTS ESSAY Q: Some people think that strict punishments for driving offences are the key to reducing traffic accidents. Others, however, believe that other measures would be more effective in improving road safety. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. The number of traffic accidents are becoming a worrying trend recently, giving rise to a heated dispute over the measures taken to address this thorny problem. Some people hold that there should be some stringent rules and regulations with strict punishments against driving offences. This proposal is sensible in reducing the accidents, since it aims to restrict people’s actions by increasing the costs of offending. This measure elicits people’s initiatives to suppress their negative habit of driving and also raises individual awareness of road safety. Besides, the consequences of traffic accidents are tragic on occasion, even though they are often caused by carelessness. The strict punishments would encourage people to be more considerate about their own health and safety while they prevent themselves from neglecting the traffic rules. On the other hand, the opponents to the former proposal are in favor of the effective measures other than punishing. Apparently, there are some other ways to improve road safety. Car factories, for instance, could enhance the technology to install more advanced devices in cars for safety precaution, such as a reminder of the appearance of near pedestrians or vehicles, an automatic emergency caller etc. Apart from technological advancement, media can also play a key role in attaching much importance to the traffic reports, thus enforcing the ideas about safety. In conclusion, I give my vote to both sides of opinions. Because, I think, it is the concerted effort by government and everyone which could definitely address the root cause the problem.