Texting While Driving

Attention getter:
It only takes a minute for you to open your phone and respond to the text but it also takes only a minute for your life to be over. Distracted driving is a growing and dangerous problem in today’s society that can lead to accidents causing injury and even death and is becoming one of the top killers.
Thematic Statement
My speech today is on texting while driving and I am against it. All drivers need to be aware of distracted driving and take steps to minimize the risk to themselves and others. “I’m asking you today to listen to the statistics and the stories and decide for yourself whether that one phone call, text message, or glance in the mirror is worth the cost of a human life.”
The following are the main reason why I am against the topic. First of all
Body:
A. While distracted driving is a growing problem among drivers of all ages, it can be a bigger problem among teens, who have less experience on the road.
1. Statistics show that drivers are more likely to have accidents in their first year of driving than any other time, and over 3800 teens between15-20 are killed in crashes each year (number one cause of death for that age group, while over 300,000 are injured.
2. According to the NHTSA report, those under the age of 20 were most likely to be distracted behind the wheel than the people who were between age of 30 to 49.
3. According to the Centres for Disease Control, a government agency which records and compiles statistics about deaths and injuries in America, divers under the age of 20 have the highest number of distracted driving accidents
Conclusion:
Teen drivers are already more likely to have an accident than other drivers, as well as more likely to have an accident from distracted driving-this could be a deadly combination.

B.
Another reason for a recent rise in the number of distracted driving accidents is our increasing dependence on gadgets such as cell phones and GPS systems.

1. According to CTIA survey, between 2001 and 2008, the number of text messages sent each month increased 110 times from 1 million per month to 110 million
2. According to a CDC study, one in three Americans says they feel less safe on the road today than they did five years ago, and distracted driving was the number one reason people said they felt this way
3. Almost nine in ten (89%) of adults have a wireless or cell phone. This represents a significant increase from 77 percent in October - December.
C: Conclusion about this detail: As these days we use more and more portable technology, we are becoming less safe on the roads than ever before.
C.
As compelling as the statistics are, however, it’s also important to know that the price we pay for distracted driving is devastating to victims’ families. These victims are more than just numbers, they are real people.
I. According to an article done by Larry Copeland on March 8, 2010 published in USA TODAY, there was a teenage girl by the name of Mariah West who, like many of us, was an extremely devoted texter.
a. She was so good that she could text at dinnertime under the table, without anyone noticing. All of her friends had seen her texting and driving, they tried to warn her that it was dangerous. She just did not seem to think so. Yet her luck ran out.
b. The day before graduation, she was headed to a Minor League Baseball game texting one of the players she was going to see, she lost control of her car. Mariah passed away that day, the last text she received was “Where U at?”.
c. Mariah’s story help start a campaign by AT&T about texting and driving, the theme of it is, no text is worth dying over.
d. Many of you have seen the graphic commercials for this campaign; here is an example of one of a milder one.

C: Conclusion about this detail: Victims of distracted driving are more than just numbers. They are real people whose families have to live with the consequences every day for the rest of their lives. V: Conclusion :
A: Restate your main idea: In a world of portable technology, distracted driving is a bigger problem than ever, especially among inexperienced drivers. It devastates the lives of surviving victims and their families as well as the families of those who do not survive.
C: Closing statement: I urge you all to think about what you have heard today, take the pledge, and stop distracted driving before someone you know becomes a statistic or a face on a memory wall. Look at the friends and family around you today and ask yourself this: Is there any text message worth their lives?

Attention getter:
It only takes a minute for you to open your phone and respond to the text but it also takes only a minute for your life to be over. Distracted driving is a growing and dangerous problem in today’s society that can lead to accidents causing injury and even death and is becoming one of the top killers.
Thematic Statement
My speech today is on texting while driving and I am against it. All drivers need to be aware of distracted driving and take steps to minimize the risk to themselves and others. “I’m asking you today to listen to the statistics and the stories and decide for yourself whether that one phone call, text message, or glance in the mirror is worth the cost of a human life.”
The following are the main reason why I am against the topic. First of all
Body:
A. While distracted driving is a growing problem among drivers of all ages, it can be a bigger problem among teens, who have less experience on the road.
1. Statistics show that drivers are more likely to have accidents in their first year of driving than any other time, and over 3800 teens between15-20 are killed in crashes each year (number one cause of death for that age group, while over 300,000 are injured.
2. According to the NHTSA report, those under the age of 20 were most likely to be distracted behind the wheel than the people who were between age of 30 to 49.
3. According to the Centres for Disease Control, a government agency which records and compiles statistics about deaths and injuries in America, divers under the age of 20 have the highest number of distracted driving accidents
Conclusion:
Teen drivers are already more likely to have an accident than other drivers, as well as more likely to have an accident from distracted driving-this could be a deadly combination.

B.
Another reason for a recent rise in the number of distracted driving accidents is our increasing dependence on gadgets such as cell phones and GPS systems.

1. According to CTIA survey, between 2001 and 2008, the number of text messages sent each month increased 110 times from 1 million per month to 110 million
2. According to a CDC study, one in three Americans says they feel less safe on the road today than they did five years ago, and distracted driving was the number one reason people said they felt this way
3. Almost nine in ten (89%) of adults have a wireless or cell phone. This represents a significant increase from 77 percent in October - December.
C: Conclusion about this detail: As these days we use more and more portable technology, we are becoming less safe on the roads than ever before.
C.
As compelling as the statistics are, however, it’s also important to know that the price we pay for distracted driving is devastating to victims’ families. These victims are more than just numbers, they are real people.
I. According to an article done by Larry Copeland on March 8, 2010 published in USA TODAY, there was a teenage girl by the name of Mariah West who, like many of us, was an extremely devoted texter.
a. She was so good that she could text at dinnertime under the table, without anyone noticing. All of her friends had seen her texting and driving, they tried to warn her that it was dangerous. She just did not seem to think so. Yet her luck ran out.
b. The day before graduation, she was headed to a Minor League Baseball game texting one of the players she was going to see, she lost control of her car. Mariah passed away that day, the last text she received was “Where U at?”.
c. Mariah’s story help start a campaign by AT&T about texting and driving, the theme of it is, no text is worth dying over.
d. Many of you have seen the graphic commercials for this campaign; here is an example of one of a milder one.

C: Conclusion about this detail: Victims of distracted driving are more than just numbers. They are real people whose families have to live with the consequences every day for the rest of their lives. V: Conclusion :
A: Restate your main idea: In a world of portable technology, distracted driving is a bigger problem than ever, especially among inexperienced drivers. It devastates the lives of surviving victims and their families as well as the families of those who do not survive.
C: Closing statement: I urge you all to think about what you have heard today, take the pledge, and stop distracted driving before someone you know becomes a statistic or a face on a memory wall. Look at the friends and family around you today and ask yourself this: Is there any text message worth their lives?