The first of the four cardinal virtues is called φρόνησις (phronesis) by Plato and gets the name Prudentia in Latin. In English we call it Prudence and it is distinct from knowledge or Wisdom because Prudence implies knowing what to do, being able to decide what to do, and having the ability to discern the appropriate course of action to be taken in a given situation at the appropriate time.
Whereas knowledge is learned and Wisdom is earned, Prudence as one of the four cardinal virtues a thing which is to be both learned and practiced.
In the Greek mindset, Prudence is a moral good which is built and is then operated with like a tool. Early Christians would have seen this a useful virtue because it is synthesized from both Wisdom and Discernment. Discernment is seen as a spiritual gift, where one has a special sense to know what to do going forward.
Prudence however is not an innate ability. Prudence as a thing which is learned and practiced, appears to exist at the point where it is being called upon. A person who has a lot knowledge can still display a lack of prudence and do stupid things. As a virtue, prudence lives in the world of moral goodness and rather than just being Mens Conscia Recti which is a mind aware of what is right, it is a mind aware of what is right and morally good and then which acts and does the good thing.
As something which is built, Prudence as a cardinal virtue requires work in order to grow.
Being good, is to be an intelligent or reasonable person with intelligent and reasonable thoughts. Prudence allows a person to have moral or ethical strength and then is maintained by doing the good thing.
To underline this point, someone who is less intelligent (and I do not wish to use this in the pejorative sense), is obviously capable of demonstrating prudence by making good choices based upon good sense. Choosing to do what is good or noble or just or kind, is entirely independent from the amount of intelligence that one possesses. In fact I would argue that some highly intelligent people prove this by choosing what is bad or ignoble or unjust or unkind.
Indeed Prudence is itself the cultivated ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. As applied to the other virtues, Prudence regulates and makes the distinction between Justice and Inequity, Fortitude and Recklessness, or Temperance and Gluttony. Prudence as a self-regulatory and self-disciplinatory action is often seen as the wellspring from which the others come forth from.
There are of course multiple ways to conceive of what moral goodness is, be they religious, spiritual, utilitarian, but in general most people will arrive at a set of common ideas as to what it is.
The feature about Prudence which makes it probably the most important of all of the virtues is that doing things which are morally good requires choices to be made. Prudence implies that rational actors will act rationally and for the good of themselves and others.
A lack of prudence as an exercised virtue not only results in stupid things being done but stupid decisions being taken, and selfish decisions being taken which have bad consequences and may result in harm being caused.
This then is why prudence should be signalled because virtue itself is normative and if imprudence is displayed and practiced then society itself becomes less good.
Perhaps the most immediate and visually obvious display of prudence and imprudence being displayed at this moment in time, is the wearing of masks and being vaccinated. It is probably reasonable to say that sowing the seeds of vaccine untrust and hesitancy has resulted in needless death. Prudence would suggest that you do these things in order to reduce the harm caused to both yourself and others. Imprudence would be doing exactly the opposite and holding large parties, where the virus can be transmitted.
Prudence involves some degree of imagining the future and then choosing what will benefit both the individual and others, as consequences of exercising that choice. Imagining what will benefit others and then making choices which realises those benefits, is like making a down payment what is necessary for our well being and happiness and the happiness of others. That isn't the ultimate end goal of the virtues because it is good that they exist and are exercised for their own sake but it is a useful by-product.
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