1988achilles wrote:
Instead of blaming an automobile accident on driver error, insurance companies should first try to figure out why the error was made by analyzing flaws in road design, automobile designs and in criteria to determine eligibility for a driver's license. Only then will the insurance companies be able to effectively issue guidelines to prevent future accidents, instead of merely punishing the incidental driver.
Which of the following is a presupposition of the argument above?
A) Driver error is not a significant factor in most automobile accidents.
B) Automobile manufacturers should be the agents who investigate automobile accidents and not insurance companies.
C) Stricter government regulation of the automobile and highway construction industries would make automobile travel safer.
D) Investigation of automobile accidents should contribute to the prevention of future accidents.
E) Most drivers who make errors in driving repeat those errors unless they are retrained.
Conclusion: Future accidents can be prevented
ONLY by issuing guidelines by insurance companies (based on analysis of flaws in road design, automobile designs and in criteria to determine eligibility for a driver's license.)
In other words, there is NO OTHER WAY to prevent future accidents than to issue guidelines.
Option E: Most drivers who make errors in driving repeat those errors unless they are retrained.
Negate the above: Most drivers who make errors in driving DO NOT repeat those errors.
If the drivers do not repeat those errors, then at least some future accidents will be prevented because of the cautiousness of the drivers who already met with an accident. The cause of such prevention would then be that fact that those drivers already met with an accident and hence became cautious of not repeating them - the reason would
not be that there were guidelines issued by insurance companies. Thus guidelines by insurance companies would not be the ONLY way to prevent future accidents. The argument breaks.
Since negated option E breaks the argument, option E is a required assumption.