Reich is trying to prove that the economy tanking is the reason why highway deaths are down. At the beginning you get a sense that Reich is mocking other reasons people have come up with for what highway deaths are down. His tone is somewhat sarcastic, yet he is right. Then he tells the readers his reason in a tone that almost seems like his reason is the only one that makes sense. His tone makes the reader believe what he is saying is right and everything else is wrong.
When I read Reich sentence in paragraph 7, I didn't think much of it. It flows with his writing. Reich writes how he would speak. As a reader its easier to read someone's work with their voice and tone in it. It's almost like actually hearing the person tell you.
Reich's blog isn't to credible. He brings up some convincing points about their not being enough evidence, but his reason doesn't have a lot of evidence as well. It's more of an opinion and not a fact. There wasn't a lot of facts in his blog, therefor this isn't a credible source.
The National Highway Safety Administration is a reliable source and Reich uses it in the first paragraph because he is trying to find the causes for this effect.
