Argument89 【0706G－LOVEAW小组】第13次作业

小猫儿UID: 2297873

89.The following appeared in a newspaper published in the state of Celera.

"Speed limits on our state's highways should be eliminated in order to increase our state's prosperity. Because greater speed means more efficient travel, commercial deliveries will be faster, increasing business profits. Elimination of speed limits will also make driving more attractive to motorists, so that more people will use the highways, providing more highway toll revenues for the state. At the same time, safety on our highways will not be affected: daytime speed limits were eliminated last year in the western states of our country, and no significant increase in the number of accidents in these states has been reported."

11：18-11:50

1.       no significant increase in the number of accidents in the western states does not mean it is safe there
2.       the safety in western states does not ensure the safety in Celera
3.       high speed does not necessary lead to high efficiency
4.       high speed does not necessary lead to increase attraction to motorists

It is suggested that speed limits be eliminated in the state of Celera, which is not convincing according to the reasoning of the argument.

In the first place, the number of accidents in the western states of the country reported since speed limits there were eliminated has nothing to do with the discussion whether it is still safe to drive there. It is possible that, to protect the governors’ fame, there are more accidents not being reported, because once it is exposed that the new policy’s being carried out leads to far higher proportion of accidents, the governors, who have worked out the policy, should be blamed and be dismissed from their positions. It is also possible that while the number of accidents in the highway is actually increased in the report, the number is decreased in the railway a lot. The total number of accidents, however, may stay acceptable for the people. Without ruling out these possibilities, the arguer can not convince me that the western states are still safe to drive there after the elimination of the speed limits on the highway.

In the second place, even if it is safe to drive in the western states although there are no speed limits there any more, it does not necessarily lead to the safety in Celera. It is possible that the roads in the western states are plainer while roads in Celera have more sharp turnings and waves.
Also, chances are the motor cars are much fewer that those in Celera, which endows safety with the driving in the western states. In other words, the conditions in the two different areas can not completely stay the same, which makes the comparison unconvincing as it stands.

In addition, the arguer insists that the higher speed means higher efficiency, which is not the case. There is no evidence to bolster that the former efficiency is not sufficient for the transportation in Celera. It is completely possible that people there have use the highway in the maximized frequency and thus it is redundant to drive for more times on the highway. In this case, the efficiency can not be enhanced even thought there is no speed limits.

To sum up, what the arguer wants to prove can not be safely draw without more detailed information. The arguer should provide more details and more convincing reasoning to bolster his suggestion.