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The Dangers of Distracted Driving
- 3. Distracted Driving • Texting • Talking • Eating and Drinking • Changing Music • GPS • Major consequences
- 4. Stats and Facts o 5,474 people died o 448,000 people were injured o 20% of all accidents o Slows breaking time
- 7. Ways for avoidance • Turn off your phone • Pull over • Wait until you’re stopped • Ask your passengers • Be prepared • Use a hands free device
Editor's Notes
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0LCmStIw9E&feature=relatedAttention Getter: Video. In this video we see Cassie Cowen sending a text message to a friend while her other two friends are with her in the car when she drifts into oncoming traffic and strikes another car. If that wasn’t enough Cassie and her friends get hit again by another car. Cassie was responsible for 4 deaths that afternoon, including her two best friends as well as an infant and adult in another car, all because she just HAD to send a text.Relating to the Audience: We’ve all done it. We’ve answered our phones, replied to a text, or searched our iPod for a new song, all while driving.Thesis statement: Distractive driving is unsafe, irresponsible and in a split second, it can have irreparable consequences.Credibility Statement: Not only have I thoroughly researched this topic, but I also have engaged in distractive driving myself, as well as had a friend lose their life due to distracted driving.Preview: This morning I want to talk to you about the dangers of distractive driving and some ways to get away from distracted driving.
- Background Information: According to Distraction.gov, a government website for distracted driving, distracted driving is split up into three categories: visual, manual, and cognitive. The activities that make up these categories and are considered distracted driving: are texting, talking on your phone, eating and drinking, changing music, and using a GPS. Basically, anything that distracts you from what’s going on, on the road.(Transition: Now that you know what distracted driving is, I’m going to talk about how dangerous it can be.)All it takes is a few seconds to go off the side of the road and hit a tree, cross the median into oncoming traffic, or for that little kid that was playing in his yard to run out in front of you, and according to the AAA Foundation, numerous studies have shown that distracted driving impairs drivers and raise the chance of a crash.The majority of you answered on my audience analysis that you normally text or talk on your phone while driving.The reasons why you said that you did engage in these activities were mostly because you are bored or you feel lonely while driving.These are not sufficient answers So what are the consequences of distracted driving?You could damage property.You could injure or kill another person or multiple people.You could injure or kill yourself.Or you could just be the victim of someone else’s distracted driving.
- Background Information: According to Distraction.gov, a government website for distracted driving, distracted driving is split up into three categories: visual, manual, and cognitive. The activities that make up these categories and are considered distracted driving: are texting, talking on your phone, eating and drinking, changing music, and using a GPS. Basically, anything that distracts you from what’s going on, on the road.(Transition: Now that you know what distracted driving is, I’m going to talk about how dangerous it can be.)All it takes is a few seconds to go off the side of the road and hit a tree, cross the median into oncoming traffic, or for that little kid that was playing in his yard to run out in front of you, and according to the AAA Foundation, numerous studies have shown that distracted driving impairs drivers and raise the chance of a crash.The majority of you answered on my audience analysis that you normally text or talk on your phone while driving.The reasons why you said that you did engage in these activities were mostly because you are bored or you feel lonely while driving.These are not sufficient answers So what are the consequences of distracted driving?You could damage property.You could injure or kill another person or multiple people.You could injure or kill yourself.Or you could just be the victim of someone else’s distracted driving.
- I’ve gathered some facts and statistics on distracted driving from Distraction.gov and they include:In 2009, 5,474 people in the U.S. were killed due to distracted driving, while another 448,000 were injured.You are 4 times more likely to get into a car accident while using a hand-held device.You are just as likely to get into an accident while drinking and driving.But texting while driving means you are 8 times more likely to get into an accident. (http://texting-while-driving.org/)20 percent of all accidents in 2009 were due to distracted driving.Texting while driving slows your breaking time.
- A study done at CNBC reported that your stopping time is significantly slower while texting and driving.An unimpaired driver takes .54 seconds on average to break.If you’re legally drunk then you should add 4 feet to those .54 seconds.If you’re reading an e-mail, add 36 feet.If you’re texting, add 70 feet.
- All states have some kind of law on cell phone usage while driving (GHSA.org).8 states have banned handheld cell phone usage while driving for all drivers.29 states have banned all cell phone usage while driving for novice drivers only (novice meaning under the age of 18).As you can see from the map, Indiana has only banned cell phone use for novice drivers.30 states have banned texting while driving for all drivers. While another 9 have banned texting while driving for novice drivers only.Again, from the map, Indiana has only banned texting for novice drivers.But there is legislation in the works that will ban both texting and cell phone use for all Indiana drivers.(Transition: Now that you know some of the dangers of distracted driving and current laws in place, I will now tell you how you can help keep yourself and others safe.)
- What can you do to prevent distracted driving? (GHSA.gov)Turn off your phone.The easiest and safest option.However, this is probably unrealistic.Pull over.If you need to make a phone call, take the extra minute to pull over and make the call.What’s an extra minute if it could mean your life?Wait till you’re stopped.Some of you answered on my audience analysis that you only engage in distracted driving when you stop at stoplights or stop signs.While this isn’t really ideal, it’s better than nothing.Ask your passengers to send a text, make a call, or change the song for you.Just hand over responsibility to your passenger.This way you aren’t risking both of your lives.Be prepared by texting, making a call, or going over your route before you get on the road.If you have something important to say then say it before you leave.Likewise, you can wait till you arrive at your destination to make a call.You can insert the address into your GPS before you leave.You can also make a playlist on your MP3 player to avoid distraction.Use a hands-free device.This includes Bluetooth ear sets.New Ford Model cars are equipped with SYNC that allows you to control your phone through Bluetooth and your steering wheel.You can also easily change the song and pick a specific song.Last but not least, just focus on the road.
- (Transition: Now that you know how to take the necessary precautions, I’m going to talk about how to help the fight against distracted driving.) Take the oath.Txtresponsibly.org is an organization designated to not texting and driving.It allows you to share your stories online and take the oath to not text and drive and by extension, not drive distracted.If you think you’re above all this and that you are perfectly fine when it comes to distracted driving, they have a cool game called “Gauging your Distraction” that measures your texting while driving skills.
- Other anti-distracted driving campaigns include AT&T’s “It Can Wait”, and Oprah’s “No Phone Zone”AT&T has put together an 11 minute documentary on the real live stories of some individuals who have been affected by texting and driving.Oprah thinks that absolutely no one is a good enough driver to be on their phone either texting or calling someone. She even calls it “America’s new deadly obsession”
- (In conclusion…) Conclusion Summary: Distractive driving is unsafe, irresponsible and in a split second, it can have irreparable consequences. It increases your chance of getting into an accident, slows your reaction time, and is even illegal in some states.Clincher: So the next time you just have to send a text, remember the story of Cassie Cowen, who killed 4 individuals, including her best friends, with one text message.