On the basis of incontestable proof that car safety seats will greatly reduce the number of serious injuries sustained by children in car accidents, laws have been passed mandating the use of these seats. Unexpectedly, it has since been found that a large number of children who are riding in safety seats continue to receive serious injuries that safety seats were specifically designed to avoid, and in the prevention of which they in fact have proven to be effective.
Which one of the following, if true, could by itself adequately explain the unexpected finding reported in the passage?The passage states that while safety seats are proven to prevent certain serious injuries, many children using them still sustain those same injuries. The unexpected finding needs an explanation that resolves why the seats fail in practice despite their proven effectiveness.
(A) Many parents are defying the law by not using safety seats for their children.
This contradicts the premise, as the finding specifically involves children
riding in safety seats.
(B) Children are more likely to make automobile trips now than they were before the introduction of the safety seat.
Increased trips might raise exposure to accidents, but it doesn’t explain why injuries occur
despite using effective seats.
(C) The high cost of child safety seats has caused many parents to delay purchasing them.
Delayed purchases don’t apply to children already using the seats, which the finding addresses.
(D) The car safety seat was not designed to prevent all types of injuries, so it is not surprising that some injuries are sustained.
This acknowledges seats don’t prevent all injuries, but the finding involves injuries the seats
were designed to avoid and
are effective against, so this doesn’t explain their failure.
(E) The protection afforded by child safety seats depends on their being used properly, which many parents fail to do.
This explains the paradox: if seats depend on proper use and parents often misuse them, injuries can still occur even though the seats themselves are effective when used correctly. This directly accounts for the unexpected results.
Answer: (E)