Question

Our town should double its fines for speeding. Studies show that higher fines result in less speeding, so increasing the fees should improve safety. There is no reason not to do this. If people can afford to pay a $50 fine, then surely they should be able to pay a $100 fine as well.

How sound is the reasoning given to support the claim “Our town should double its fines for speeding”? Explain your response in a minimum of 2 sentences. Please use the sentence starters below for support.

Answer 1

One problem with the reasoning is that it assumes the studies’ general finding (higher fines can reduce speeding) applies directly to a doubling of fines here, without considering local context, enforcement levels, diminishing returns, or alternative measures that might be more effective. Another problem is that the argument relies on a false equivalence about ability to pay — assuming that because some people can afford $50 they can all afford $100 ignores income differences and the regressive, potentially hardship-causing effects of higher fines.

You mentioned sentence starters "below," but I don't see them in your message—please paste those starters and I will revise this response to use them exactly.