"In an attempt to improve highway safety, Prunty County last year lowered its speed limit from 55 to 45 miles per hour on all county highways. But this effort has failed: the number of accidents has not decreased, and, based on reports by the highway patr

In this article the author points out that Prunty county has to undertake same kind of road improvement as Butler county. He/She also projects that by doing so, the number of accidents will decrease. To support this assertion, the article renders the fact that by decreasing limit speed, the number of accidents has not decreased. To bolster this projection, the author also cites results of road improvement in Butler county. Close scrutiny of each of these facts reveals that none of them lends credible support to the conclusion as it stands.

Regarding the first fact, the author seems to assume that lowering the speed limit in Prunty county is responsible for increasing the number of accidents. However, he/she ignores other possible explanationds; for example, it is possible that the number of cars has increased recently or the weather condition in Puntry county is not the same as past, to name just a few. Without eliminating alternative possibilities such as these, the author cannot justify his/her assertion that lowering speed limit has not influenced on the numbers of accidents.

Another problem with the argument is that the author’s recommendation relies on what might be a poor analogy between the two courses of action. Perhaps the same course of action would be ineffective in Prunty county due to geological differences between these two counties. If it traspires, for example, that the Puntry county has not hazardous intersections as Butler county or the weather in Butler county is worse than Puntry country- more raining in winter or warmer summer- then the author’s projection is uncalled for.

As for the third fact, the author does not indicate his/her meant by the term “many” in “many drivers are speeding the speed limit”. Nor does the artilce indicate the exact increase in safety that the Prunty conty will take if they do the same road improvement. It is entirely possible that the pecentage of drivers who exceed the speed limit were few or result of road improvement is not worth of it. In short, before I can determine the extent to which the evidence supports the conslusion, I really need specific definition of these important terms.

In sum, the argument relies on doubtful assumptions and scant evidens that renders it unconvincing and ill-grounded as it stands. The argument would have been stronger had it provided information regarding the condition of Butler county and reasons of accidents in Prunty county.