Texting While Driving: Is It Worth Dying?

Texting While Driving: Is it worth Dying?
SP: After listening to my speech, I want my audience to be influenced by the dangers of Texting while driving.
CP: By the end of my speech, I am going to tell you about the disadvantages and the risk factors Texting while Driving entails.
[Let me begin by showing a few photographs and I will proceed with a few questions.]
I.Attention
Can anyone identify what these teenagers have in common? They may all look alike, healthy, pretty we can say. I am going to tell you the one thing they have in common, they are all…DEAD. These pictures will not tell you that, although the Reason they are dead may paint a broader picture for you. They all died because they were Texting While Driving, as posted on www.momlogic.com, and you can refer to this site if you wish to know further. Some say they are good at multitasking but the truth is driving requires our overall attention, and multitasking is not something that should be done behind a steering wheel. How many of you are guilty and willing to admit to texting while driving? How many of you are aware of the dangers that TWD cause? You will be aware of these factors, as I proceed. II. Need
A.Driving is complicated in itself; it not only requires your total attention, as I mentioned before it conveys the fact that you are not alone on the road and therefore have to always be on the look out for every thing that is moving around you, on the other hand texting is so popular in our times that it is being combined with driving. Deadly combinations as you have already seen. Teens can text a mile a minute, and most are aware of its dangers. All the more adults are also guilty of doing this. In a survey done by www.consumerreports.org they state, “Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood has called distracted driving a deadly epidemic.” So, if we all know it is dangerous then why is still being done? Why are so many people still dying needlessly?
B.Today, there are many distractions on the road. According to textfreedriving.org. Which is one of the many organization being formed to raise awareness on the dangers we are discussing state that, 1.) “80% of crashes, and 65% of near crashes, involved some form of driver inattention within 3 seconds of the event.” That is all it takes…3 Seconds.
2.) 57% of American drivers admit to texting behind the wheel. 3.) 89% of Americans adults think sending text messages or e-mails while driving is distracting, dangerous and should be outlawed.
C. Are people not respecting the laws? Texting while driving is mayor concern for all of us. It is dangerous, it causes accidents, it raises the costs of insurance, and most of all loss of lives. Even though Laws are being amended not all fifty states have laws banning texting while driving. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on their website iihs.org provides a table indicating text bans, and how they vary from states to states.
1.)Thirty four states and D.C. have laws banning texting while driving; Being, Nevada the most recent to pass a law that will ban all drivers from texting, which will be effective on January 1, 2012.
2.) There are nine states that have none and these are: Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Ohio. That is correct Ohio has no law banning texting while driving as of today.
3.)Seven states only have restrictions on minors and/ or some license holders.
The risks and consequences of TWD is an issue that can and should be avoided by all. III.Satisfaction
These risks are so high that President Obama issued EXECUTIVE ORDER- FEDERAL LEADERSHIP ON REDUCING TEXT MESSAGING WHILE DRIVING which was released on October 1, 2009, it state as follows, “A Federal Government-wide prohibition on the use of text messaging while driving on official business or while using Government-supplied equipment will help save lives, reduce injuries, and set an example for State and local governments, private employers, and individual drivers.” (Section 1. Line 8).
Today, not only is the President of the United States of America is addressing this issue many organizations and groups are being formed to create awareness of the perils of TWD. Yet, as statistics prove over 50% of Americans admit to texting while driving, as I stated before. To end this “Deadly epidemic” three important steps must be followed: first, we must focus on driving safely and dropping our cell phones while doing so, second, respect the laws and all that are driving around us, and third, continue to create awareness.
IV.Visualization
This is how our future would look if we stopped texting while driving
a.Thought activated cell phones, which according to Future Timeline.net may exist by 2020.
b.Designated parking areas along side roads and highways just for texting.
Safety on our roads can and should benefit us all.
V.Action
Fortunately, organizations as, R.A.B. (Remember Alex Brown, in remembrance of 17 yr old who, also died while TWD), whose site is http://www.rememberalexbrownfoundation.org , http://www. textfreedriving.org/,
Oprah Winfrey, ConsumerReports.org, AT&T, and Sprint, all of which are in the midst of many that are taking the necessary steps to continue to alert as many drivers as possible.
Accordingly, March 21 has been designated the National Day of Awareness for not TWD sponsored by R.A.B. Foundation, and followed by many. Let us continue to take in account that which the President of the United States, with his EXECUTIVE ORDER, and all of these organizations are trying to make us realize, and this is, “Safety is more important that a text message. Safety cannot wait.”
At this moment, I want ask each and every one of you, “Are you willing to stop TWD for the sake of your own life, for the sake of the life of others, so that someday we may enjoy SAFETY ON OUR ROADS! How many of you are willing to sign the pledge, right now?

References
2020-2029 timeline contents. Infographic.Retrieved on (24 October 2011).Web. FutureTimeline.net.
Cell phone laws (19 0ctober 2011) Retrieved from http://www.iihs.org/laws/ceellphoneslaws.aspx
Driving distracted. (Pamphlet and statistics) Consumer Reports magazine: April 2011. Retrieved from www.consumerreports.org
Extreme Newsletter. National Awareness Day to End Texting and Driving- March 21. Retrieved from bit.ly/DNTTXTDRV
Momlogic.com. Texting and Driving deadly for teens. (8/18/2009) Photographs Retrieved from www.momlogic.com
Office of the Press Secretary. “Executive Order-Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving”. Retrieved on (19 October 2011) from WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV
Textfreedriving.org (March16 2011). www.TextFreeDriving.org

References: 2020-2029 timeline contents. Infographic.Retrieved on (24 October 2011).Web. FutureTimeline.net. Cell phone laws (19 0ctober 2011) Retrieved from http://www.iihs.org/laws/ceellphoneslaws.aspx Driving distracted. (Pamphlet and statistics) Consumer Reports magazine: April 2011. Retrieved from www.consumerreports.org Extreme Newsletter. National Awareness Day to End Texting and Driving- March 21. Retrieved from bit.ly/DNTTXTDRV Momlogic.com. Texting and Driving deadly for teens. (8/18/2009) Photographs Retrieved from www.momlogic.com Office of the Press Secretary. “Executive Order-Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving”. Retrieved on (19 October 2011) from WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV Textfreedriving.org (March16 2011). www.TextFreeDriving.org