Make the willful pay a higher price

Thread Content

In our daily lives, one of the main reasons why some people don’t take laws and regulations seriously is that the cost of breaking them is too low. In many cases, even if they are caught engaging in illegal speculation, the losses are not severe; yet if they avoid taking such risks, they will have to pay a heavy financial price. As a result, they naturally choose to take risks, which creates significant safety hazards and can even lead to serious accidents. 　　According to CCTV News on January 18, recently in Yinchuan, Ningxia, the steering wheel of a taxi fell off while it was in motion. Rather than paying for towing, the driver used a wrench to hold the steering column in place and drove the car to a repair shop. The traffic police department later imposed a fine of 250 yuan on him. Reminder: In the event of a sudden vehicle malfunction, stop the vehicle, turn on the emergency lights and place warning signs; once everyone is safe, contact a repair service. (CCTV reporter Gao Zhenxing) Although we are not aware of the specific criteria used by traffic police for imposing such penalties, it is easy to see that such penalties have almost no deterrent effect on similar situations; they don’t even need to consider the idea of sacrificing something valuable for a trivial gain. If caught, it’s considered bad luck; if not caught, two people are saved. In any case, there’s no greater loss, which inadvertently encourages many people to take risks. 　　Small hazards can lead to major accidents; this is the true cause of many tragedies. Although nothing happened to the taxi driver this time, it can only be considered a coincidence. Many vehicles are not faulty, yet accidents can still result in death and destruction. If something unexpected were to happen to him, the consequences would be disastrous; two major disasters could occur. Therefore, making those who are willful pay a higher price is a effective way to strengthen people’s awareness of safety. Waiting until something goes wrong before regretting it and trying to find reasons is really like trying to salvage something that’s already ruined.