The Covid-19 moment has been fraught in countless ways, but perhaps most so when concerned with arguments about the trade-offs between strict measures to control viral contagion, and the economic consequences of those trade-offs. At the heart of these arguments has been one—often unspoken—question: who gets to decide what is right for societies? Who decides how to evaluate the trade-offs?
Perhaps this question is illuminated by analogy.
Increases in speed limits across the country have been associated with 37,000 deaths during the past 25 years. In 1993, 41 states had a maximum speed limit of 65 mph; the other nine states had a speed limit of 55 mph. Today, by contrast, 41 states have maximum speed limits of 70 mph or higher; six have 80 mph speed limits. The change has happened slowly as advocacy groups have argued for higher speed limits to reflect reality—many drivers exceed the speed limit anyway.
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