tara1
Apr 20, 2015
Graduate / The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Balmer Island Gazette: [3]
One Balmer island, where mopeds serve as a popular form of transportation, the population increases to 100,000 during the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians, the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by the island's moped rental companies from 50 per day to 25 per day during the summer season. By limiting the number of rentals, the town council will attain the 50 percent annual reduction in moped accidents that was achieved last year on the neighboring island of Seaville, when Seaville's town council enforced similar limits on moped rentals.
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.
The author makes a claim that in order to reduce the number of accidents between mopeds and people in Balmer Island, there should be a reduction in the amount of mopeds rented out by moped rental companies. This claim is based on an assumption that since the people of seaville limited the amount of rentals of mopeds they had lesser accidents so the people of balmer island should do the same to achieve the same result. This argument is porous because it based on an unfounded assumption, the author needs to ask questions like what are the major causes of accidents in Balmer island? do the accidents increase in the summer period? why did the seaville reduce the rentage of mopeds. Firstly, the author has to ask about the major causes of accidents in the balmer island. A research has to be carried out to know the major causes of accidents in Balmer island; is it the bad roads; is it the carelessness of drivers and so on. It is better to remove the cause of the accident rather than reducing the number of mopeds on the roads during the summer season when they are mostly needed. When the author is able to answer this question then we will be able to know whether to reduce the number of mopeds in the case of careless drivers or to treat the cause of accidents in the case of bad roads.
Secondly, the author has to ask if the number of accidents increase during the summer period. The author has stated that during the summer period the number of people in the balmer island rise to 100,000. But he has failed to tell us if the number of accidents also increase during this peiod. This question has to be answered because when we are able to know this, we would be convinced on whether to reduce the number of mopeds during the summer period or not depending on the answer to the question. If accidents do not increase considerably during this time then it precludes the need to reduce the mopeds.
In addition, the author also has to question the reason why the seaville people took the decision to reduce their mopeds, did they reduce it because of increase in population or in accidents, what applies in Seaville may not apply in Balmer island. Therefore we have to know all the possible parameters that led to the reducton in accidents in seaville before concluding that what applies there will apply in balmer island. This will help determine if the recommendation can work in Balmer island.
In conclusion, all the above questions require answers before making a hasty decision to reduce the number of mopeds in the period when they are needed the most.
This decision will likely irritate the foreigners who are coming in during the summer and hinder them from coming next time, it could affect the economy because of reduction in tourism. Consequently, a critical decision requires critical research; which should be carried out by the author before going ahead with the recommendation.
One Balmer island, where mopeds serve as a popular form of transportation, the population increases to 100,000 during the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians, the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by the island's moped rental companies from 50 per day to 25 per day during the summer season. By limiting the number of rentals, the town council will attain the 50 percent annual reduction in moped accidents that was achieved last year on the neighboring island of Seaville, when Seaville's town council enforced similar limits on moped rentals.
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.
The author makes a claim that in order to reduce the number of accidents between mopeds and people in Balmer Island, there should be a reduction in the amount of mopeds rented out by moped rental companies. This claim is based on an assumption that since the people of seaville limited the amount of rentals of mopeds they had lesser accidents so the people of balmer island should do the same to achieve the same result. This argument is porous because it based on an unfounded assumption, the author needs to ask questions like what are the major causes of accidents in Balmer island? do the accidents increase in the summer period? why did the seaville reduce the rentage of mopeds. Firstly, the author has to ask about the major causes of accidents in the balmer island. A research has to be carried out to know the major causes of accidents in Balmer island; is it the bad roads; is it the carelessness of drivers and so on. It is better to remove the cause of the accident rather than reducing the number of mopeds on the roads during the summer season when they are mostly needed. When the author is able to answer this question then we will be able to know whether to reduce the number of mopeds in the case of careless drivers or to treat the cause of accidents in the case of bad roads.
Secondly, the author has to ask if the number of accidents increase during the summer period. The author has stated that during the summer period the number of people in the balmer island rise to 100,000. But he has failed to tell us if the number of accidents also increase during this peiod. This question has to be answered because when we are able to know this, we would be convinced on whether to reduce the number of mopeds during the summer period or not depending on the answer to the question. If accidents do not increase considerably during this time then it precludes the need to reduce the mopeds.
In addition, the author also has to question the reason why the seaville people took the decision to reduce their mopeds, did they reduce it because of increase in population or in accidents, what applies in Seaville may not apply in Balmer island. Therefore we have to know all the possible parameters that led to the reducton in accidents in seaville before concluding that what applies there will apply in balmer island. This will help determine if the recommendation can work in Balmer island.
In conclusion, all the above questions require answers before making a hasty decision to reduce the number of mopeds in the period when they are needed the most.
This decision will likely irritate the foreigners who are coming in during the summer and hinder them from coming next time, it could affect the economy because of reduction in tourism. Consequently, a critical decision requires critical research; which should be carried out by the author before going ahead with the recommendation.
