Carr used this case to distinguish between what he called “rational” and “accidental” causation: [I]t made sense to suppose that the curbing of alcoholic indulgence in drivers, or a stricter control over the condition of brakes, or an improvement in the siting of roads, might serve the end of reducing the number of traffic fatalities. But it made no sense at all to suppose that the number of traffic fatalities could be reduced by preventing people from smoking cigarettes. Rational causes, Carr went on to explain, “lead to fruitful generalizations and lessons can be learned from them.”
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