Correlation Between Bike Lanes and Traffic Accidents

Medium Weaken Undermine Argument

In a major city, officials have noted a correlation between the increase in bike lanes and a reduction in traffic accidents. They concluded that adding more bike lanes will likely lead to fewer accidents in the future. This conclusion is based on data collected over the past five years, which showed that areas with more bike lanes reported a decrease in accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists.

However, some city planners argue that correlation does not imply causation and emphasize that other factors may contribute to the decrease in accidents.

What would most seriously weaken the city officials' argument?

Accident rates have been declining in cities nationwide, even those without added bike lanes.

The data does not indicate the specific types of accidents that decreased with more bike lanes.

A survey found that most cyclists report feeling safer in areas with more bike lanes.

The number of cyclists also increased significantly over the same time period.

City officials plan to increase advertising about bike lane safety to encourage usage.

Hint

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