Persuasive Speech: Don't Text While Driving

I had to give a persuasive speech in my PR class the other day. Speaking is not my favorite thing to do, but it went ok. This is something I feel strongly about, so I thought I'd share it. (By the way, we were required to use a non-electronic visual aid, so I used my phone.)

Intro: (Hold up phone) This is my phone. I could call or text one of my friends right now, but that would not be appropriate. There is a time and a place for cell phone use. In addition to the classroom, one of those times and places is not while driving in the car. Today I am specifically going to talk about the dangers of texting while driving.

Driving is an activity that requires complete attention. Composing, reading and sending text messages while driving compromises the driver’s attention and can lead to horrible consequences. In fact, some say that texting while driving is as horrible or worse than drunk driving. Studies show that a person is 4 times more likely to get in accident if they are drinking and driving and 8 times more likely to get in an accident if they are texting while driving.

Texting while driving is a serious issue. It causes accidents. Lives are changed in an instant because of the choice of others to send a text message. In fact, over 16,000 lives were lost due to texting while driving during the years of 2002-2007, according to a study conducted by The University of North Texas Health Science Center. That number continues to rise today.

One teenage girl from Texas should not have lost her life in 2009. Seventeen year-old Alex Brown was on her way to school when she sent a text message as she was driving and her truck went off a rural road and rolled, costing her her life. Her father stated, “we had to learn the hard way about the dangers of texting while driving. This is an epidemic… no text message is worth a life.”

Texting while driving also resulted in the death of a 55 year-old Ohio businessman. The man was striving for a healthier life, and often went walking near his home. One day, however, his life was taken. A 19 year-old girl was texting while driving and veered off the road, running over the man. His daughter stated, “that is right. She didn’t hit him, she ran over him. She left tire tracks up his right leg, across his pelvis and up his right arm. He didn’t stand a chance because she fractured his pelvis, pulverized multiple major branches of his right femoral artery, and bruised over 25 percent of his liver.” He died later that afternoon. But he shouldn’t have. Thousands of people out there should still have their dad or mom, or husband or wife. Texting doesn’t have to kill.

I personally have been touched by the effects of texting while driving. Last Thanksgiving I got a ride home off the ride board. It was snowing and the roads were bad. In addition, the driver was texting the whole time. I should have said something about it, but I didn’t. We ended up going off the road into a ditch. We were lucky that no one was hurt or killed. I am thankful to be alive today and feel strongly about the dangers of texting while driving.

I was fortunate enough to not be part of a fatal accident caused by texting while driving. Every year texting while driving causes nearly 51,000 non-fatal injuries, according to passenlaw.com. That’s 51,000 lives which are affected.

Something needs to be done about this epidemic. The good news is that texting while driving is now banned in 30 states. However, it needs to be banned in every state. A law regarding texting is currently in legislation in Idaho. The law would allow residents to text while driving as long as they are not distracted. But, texting IS distracting all the way around. We need to make sure texting while driving is completely prohibited.

My message to you today is: don’t text while driving and don’t allow others to do so. Whatever text we want to send can wait until we are off the road. Our lives and the lives of our friends and family members are worth the wait.