Instead of Blaming an Automobile Accident on Driver Error

Question: 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 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?

1. Driver error is not a significant factor in most automobile accidents.
2. Automobile manufacturers should be the agents who investigate automobile accidents and not insurance companies.
3. Stricter government regulation of the automobile and highway construction industries would make automobile travel safer.
4. Investigation of automobile accidents should contribute to the prevention of future accidents.
5. Most drivers who make errors in driving repeat those errors unless they are retrained.

“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 criteria to determine eligibility for a driver's license.”  – this is a GMAT critical reasoning topic. This GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘ 501 GMAT Questions​’. In this particular topic, candidates are asked to select the most appropriate explanation that states the role that boldface plays. In this question, the candidates need to provide an option that supports the argument provided in the passage. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. Critical reasoning in GMAT requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument.  The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Answer: D
Solution and Explanation:
This is a GMAT critical reasoning question. An assumption is an implied hypothesis. So we are looking for something that is implied in the argument. In case it is wrong or maybe disable the argument.

The statement states - 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 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.

Let's go through the assumptions that suit the most with the given argument:

1. Incorrect.
   -Driver error is not a significant factor in most automobile accidents. If it is so, how can this strengthen the conclusion or make our belief in the conclusion stronger. 
2. Incorrect.
   -Automobile manufacturers should be the agents who investigate automobile accidents and not insurance companies. It does not help in any way to understand why we need the new procedure. This option is out of scope. 
3. Incorrect.
   -Stricter government regulation of the automobile and highway construction industries would make automobile travel safer. This option is out of scope. 
4. Correct.
   -Investigation of automobile accidents should contribute to the prevention of future accidents. This makes the most sense. If this were not the case, then the plan would fail. 
5. Incorrect.
   -Most drivers who make errors in driving repeat those errors unless they are retrained.Does not matter much.

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