Visitor traffic and roadway safety both depend on law enforcement officers and the ethics that govern their actions. When everyone involved acts ethically, the outcome is generally a safe environment for all. Conversely, ethical failures lead to situations like distracted driving statistics showing an upward trend in the number of road incidents caused by drivers who disregard the rules and regulations set forth to keep everyone safe. This is important to understand because proving the point that ethical law enforcement improves roadway safety and helps save lives is essential to proving how effective technology like SaverOne’s products can be.
Ethics is the study of proper action undertaken by society as a whole. It can be best illustrated by a comprehensive law enforcement code of ethics. Law enforcement officers are responsible for promoting safe and responsible behavior on roadways and elsewhere through their actions. Impartiality is key in ethics. Therefore, law enforcement officers put aside personal beliefs, and act in accordance with established laws governing behavior on the roadway when they do their job. To do otherwise is to display poor ethics.
To illustrate this point, consider the concept of distracted driving in light of the Oath of Honor taken by all law enforcement officers:
As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind, to safeguard lives, including my own, property and the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder.
To be effective, the law enforcement code of ethics must be taken seriously. For example, laws on the use of handheld devices have been put into effect to reduce the number of accidents caused by distracted driving. Therefore, law enforcement officers make use of government approved standards (like visual and physical observation) to stop those they observe violating the laws against the use of handheld devices while driving. However, the driver must be observed in the act of breaking the rule. This is the current standard, meaning that the law enforcement officer is not permitted to stop a driver they only suspect will be distracted and is likely to use a handheld device while driving.
On the other hand, when a law enforcement officer harbors personal bias and stops a driver they think may be using a handheld device, and no wrongdoing is observed, the officer is acting on their own beliefs. This might also be referred to as exercising discretion instead of following the law. While officers made do this from time to time, the law enforcement code of ethics does not permit it; therefore, it is improper behavior.
When decisions on actions to take are made by putting aside personal beliefs, instead focusing on what makes for a better society, the end result is often action taken to promote wellbeing. However, when officers choose to act contrary to the law for personal reasons, ethical violations and problems in the legal system can result in social harm, even injury.
Therefore, when ethical decisions are made, the public benefits because the totality of circumstances examined in advance enables officers to be proactive about keeping the peace. This can include promoting safe, responsible behavior in all areas including on roadways by enforcing safety rules.
The law enforcement code of ethics keeps personal beliefs out of decision-making. When decision making is fair, a level playing field exists. In other words, as long as there are no conflicts arising from individual beliefs, officers can be impartial and place themselves on a level playing field with the public during all interactions. Ethical interaction is therefore essential to a healthy society because the law is applied equally to everyone and social stability and integrity are promoted.
In many cases, ethical law enforcement also promotes safety by reducing the number of road incidents caused by unsafe drivers. This is a proactive method of protecting the public and saving lives, and an important part of responsible enforcement of laws.
It is helpful to think about technology like SaverOne as a conflict resolution tool that improves safety using technology as a form of proactive support for what the law enforcement code of ethics already promotes. The law enforcement code of ethics represents a guide for responsible law enforcement officers everywhere.
A thorough examination of the ethics in law enforcement can provide a clear picture of the interrelatedness of law enforcement, ethics, and roadway safety. It goes without saying that the authorities and the public must both strive to act ethically at all times. Meanwhile, however, the existence of technology like SaverOne in cars to reduce the number of distracted driving incidents trend that has contributed to increases in the number of roadway accidents has proven itself to be effective at reducing risk. Therefore, technological solutions and ethical law enforcement efforts must be used in conjunction with one another to make the biggest impact on the number of roadway accidents.
