Persuasive Speech Plan: Driving While Texting Essay

The author mentions the scientific opinion of Steven Yantis, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at John Hopkins University, of how using a phone and driving effects the brain and also includes the

Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to avoid texting while driving so they will not get injured or injury someone else.

“The reaction time of a distracted cell phone driver is more than 40% than those of an undistracted driver” (Hague).

Good morning everyone, today we call our world as busy world or multitasks world and with the rush-rush-rush mentality most people have these days; it's no surprise that more and more people are driving while distracted. Eating, talking or texting on a mobile phone, making adjustments to the radio, talking with passengers -- all take a driver's focus off of the road.

Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents in America, followed by speeding, then drunk driving. A study performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTAS) found that 80% of car crashes were a direct result of distracted driving. There are three types of distractions for drivers: visual, cognitive, and manual. Cell phone usage whilst driving meets all three criteria for a distracted driver. When a person is using a phone they will take their eyes away from the road to look at the device (visual), they will think about the content of what they are looking at and take their mind off of the road (cognitive), and they will also take their hands off of the wheel to use the device (manual). There are many other reasons that can be attributed to distracted driving, like applying make-up or loud passengers in the car, but cell phone usage is becoming a rapidly growing concern, especially with younger drivers. The NHTAS identified that drivers under the age of 20 make up the highest proportion of distracted drivers that were involved in fatal crashes.

In this article “Distracted Driving”, many distractions are mentioned other than just cell phone usage, such as changing the radio station or driving with kids in the back seat. It is stated that the dangers from distracted driving are because of the decrease in brain function and inability to pay full attention to the road. These practices lead to wrecks and in many cases death.

In the article “How The Brain Reacts” by Marcel Just and Tim Keller, the authors describe how they use science to show the brains reaction to what is happening around it when on the road. “Behavioral studies have shown that talking on a cellphone diverts the driver’s attention and disrupts driving performance.” They

Visual distraction of this nature is anything that requires the driver to take his or her eyes away from the road. Manual distraction involves the driver removing his or her hands from the steering wheel. Cognitive distraction forces the driver to think about something other than driving safely (Goldfarb, 2010). These skills are critical when safely operating a motor vehicle that requires concentration, coordination, and prompt, immediate responses to sensory input.

A. The main premise of my argument is that no one for whatever reason should be texting while driving.

Texting while driving takes away the one thing that absolutely everyone counts on while behind the wheel, vision. No matter where the phone is placed, whether it is on the dash board or on the steering wheel, one’s eyes are not where they need to be. People’s eyes are supposed to be on the road at all times. Texting takes that away and it doesn’t matter how quick someone thinks they are, there is always a possibility. Just for that split second of reading a message that is so important, a crash could happen. Eyes are the most important thing needed when driving and when not on the road a lot of harm can be caused.

The distractions of driving are a popular area of research. Recent studies have looked at what distracts drivers and what other failures of awareness may contribute to traffic accidents. The goal of this paper is to look at research and explain how change blindness can possibly effect driving.

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience that texting while driving is a dangerous task they should not partake in.

B. Hook: Did you know that texting while driving is now one of the most popular distractions that take a driver’s eyes off the road?

Today, texting while driving out numbers the amount of drunk driving according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texting while driving is six times more likely to cause a wreck than drunk driving. You are 23 times more likely to wreck if you are texting. Texting while driving is equal to driving bind for 5 seconds each text. Out of the worlds’ population of over 7 billion, at any given moment all over the world, over 800,000 drivers are texting. Drivers think they can handle looking away for a second to reply, or read a message. By doing this you are decreasing your break reaction time by 18% (national). “The concentration needed for safe driving makes texting safely at the same time impossible” (Bratsis 70). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (C.D.C.)

(Revealing Topic) My intention today is to persuade you to think twice next time you pull out your cell phone while driving. I’m going to touch on why texting while driving is dangerous and present you with a couple of studies that provide shocking evidence on how impaired someone is when they are texting and driving and texting while driving vs. driving drunk.