A state government is concerned about recent increases in the number and severity of injuries caused by automobile accidents. Because most serious injuries arising from automobile accidents occur on highways within city limits, where traffic is heavy and automobiles travel at high speeds, the government proposes new laws significantly lowering the speed limit on highways within a 10-mile radius of a city and imposing harsh fines on any driver guilty of exceeding them. The state government predicts that these measures would significantly reduce the number of severe injuries due to automobile accidents.

Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the accuracy of the state government’s prediction?

A. The new penalties will be especially harsh to drivers with low incomes who commute into the city from less expensive suburbs.

B. The fines for violating the speed limits increase for repeat offenders.

C. Drivers will seek to avoid the new penalties by taking alternate routes, increasing the volume of traffic on narrow and poorly lit roads not designed for heavy use.

D. Speed limits in the state are already lower than those in neighboring states.

E. Injuries arising from automobile accidents could be reduced more effectively by laws mandating better safety features on cars sold within the state