Several recent studies have shown that when alcohol is consumed before driving, the incidence of automobile accidents increases significantly. On this basis, the federal government has passed strict laws prohibiting drivers from operating their vehicles after consuming specific amounts of alcohol. Surprisingly, it has since been discovered that a large number of drivers who have not been consuming alcohol in amounts that exceed the legal specifications are still becoming involved in the type of automobile accidents that the laws were designed to reduce.

Which one of the following, if true, could by itself adequately explain the unexpected finding reported in the passage?

A. Some people are defying the law by drinking slightly less than the legal limit of alcoholic beverages.

B. People are more likely to make automobile trips under the influence of alcohol than they were before the introduction of the laws.

C. The sophisticated language used in the phrasing of the laws has caused many people to misunderstand the amount of alcohol they can legally consume.

D. The laws prohibiting drinking alcohol and then driving were not designed to prevent all types of accidents, so it is not surprising that some accidents still occur.

E. The consumption rates specified in the laws are based on the higher tolerance rates of men aged 35-40, while the later accidents involve younger men and women.


OA E

Source: Princeton Review