SPE 101
Speech
12/14/10
Outline
I. Attention getter: Going to Wedding, old man hits car
i. Credibility: Real life situations with older drivers, Dad is an EMT and talks to me about calls all the time
ii. Topics: The facts of old drivers, real-life stories, solutions
iii. Thesis: I want a federal law to be passed that forces any driver the age of 65 and older to be retested every 3 years to not only save their lives, but others around them.
II. Statistics:
i. In next 20 years, the number of elderly drivers triple in amount according to Smart Motorist
a. Older drivers more conservative when driving rarely changing there habits because of factors such as busy highways or nighttime where as other drivers may go another route
b. More accidents than kids, mostly at intersections
c. At the age of 65 there is a much greater risk for a driver to be engaged in a vehicle accident
1. At the age of 75 that risk increases from just a crash to an accident involving a fatality because of there higher risk of bad eyes or slower reaction time
ii. Troubles with Age
a. Bad at making turns
b. Slower response rates and reaction times to a drastic change
c. Studies show that most accidents involving the elderly are caused at intersections there also multi-vehicle accidents
iii. In Japan (2006)
a. 20.8 percent over age 65
b. 13.1 percent licensed drivers
iv. Between 75-84 years old
a. Rate of 3 deaths per 100 million miles
1. Over age of 85, chances increase nearly four times
v. By 2030
a. Predictions for over age 65
1. Responsible for over 25% of fatal crashes
vi. Database, Accidents Analysis &
Cited: Davis, R., & Debarros, A. (2007, May 2). Older, dangerous drivers a growing problem. [Editorial]. USA Today, p. 1. Retrieved November 02, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.usatoday.com/ news/ nation/ 2007-05-02-older-drivers-usat1a_n.htm. Press, A. (2007). Older Drivers, Elderly Driving, Seniors At The Wheel. Retrieved November 07, 2010 from Non-Profit Organization, Smart Motorist: http://www.smartmotorist.com/ traffic-and-safety-guideline/ older-drivers-elderly-driving-seniors-at-the-wheel.html. White, M. (2006). Senior Driving. Retrieved November 07, 2010 from Non-profit organization, Helpguide.org: http://www.helpguide.org/ elder/ senior_citizen_driving.htm.