The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Balmer Island Gazette."The population on Balmer Island doubles during the summer months. During the summer, then, the town council of Balmer Island should decrease the maximum number of moped rentals

The author in a letter to the editor of the Balmer Island Gazette recommends that the town council of Balmer Island should enforce limits on moped rentals during summer months. This recommendation is drawn to reduce number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians. According to ambiguous evidence and vague assumptions, further evaluations of Balmer Island’s conditions are required in order for the argument to be reasonably plausible.

First of all, the author assumes that the problem of number of accidents is because of moped rentals. There are other aspects in having accidents that might come from other sources. For example, are people good at riding mopeds? Are there enough traffic lights for both pedestrians and riders? If there are not enough facilities for citizens in Balmer Island, authorities have to pay attention to other requirements as well. By providing enough facilities and informing people, the number of accidents may decrease.

Second, the author makes his conclusion based on the actions implemented on moped rentals in island of Toreseau. The neighboring island had a 50 percent reduction in moped accidents last year due to the analogous limits on the number of moped rentals. There are many aspects that should be considered here. For instance, are both islands have the same population in summer months or not? If there exist similar population, the conclusion indicates the valid assumption.

Finally, the time span is really important. The author states the result of accident in the neighboring island of Torseau for the last year where the decrement of a 50 percent reduction in accidents is based on the last year’s statistic. It is logical to draw a conclusion based on the results of the summer months, since the population of Balmer Island doubles during summer. But the author does not provide equal interval results. Also, if it is not necessary to compare results that way, the reduction may be compared in months when the similar increment in population of island of Torseau occurs. Therefore, similar conditions can prove the author’s conclusion.

In overall, the author of the letter fails to prove the argument that the reduction of mopeds rental will decrease the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians in summer. In order for the town council of Balmer Island to take further actions, the author’s recommendation needs more supporting information.