What is a major benefit of incorporating stall strips into wing design?

Incorporating stall strips into wing design primarily ensures that the root area of the wing stalls first. This feature improves aircraft safety by maintaining aileron effectiveness and preventing a sudden loss of control during a stall. When stall strips are placed at the leading edge of the wing, they encourage airflow separation to occur at the root before it does at the wingtip. This staggered stall behavior allows pilots to maintain control and perform effective recovery actions, as the ailerons remain effective until the root stalls, providing critical time to react.

The other options address aspects of wing performance but do not capture the key benefit of stall strips as effectively. For instance, while added drag can occur with stall strips, that isn't their primary function or benefit; similarly, enhancing lift and maintaining airflow may be goals of wing design in general, but stall strips specifically relate to the sequence of airflow separation and stall management.