Texting While Driving Speech

Good morning everyone, my name is Anna Carter and I have been asked to come here on behalf of the RTA to aware you all of the dangers of using your phone while driving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC3x7K3EOTk

How many of you have cell phones? How many of you drive? Honestly, how many of you use your phone and drive at the same time? In my experience of 10 years working in this field I have spent countless hours studying the effects of texting while driving and can tell you, it is very dangerous. The great majority of people are constantly on their phones, whether they are at school at home or even while they drive. Mobile phones are taking over our lives; we would be lost without them. I chose to speak about the topic of texting while driving because many people and especially you teens do this continuously. Today I would like to persuade all of you to stop using your mobile phones while performing the important task of driving.

In today’s life style, text messaging is a main form of communication. Most people who own a mobile phone revel in the wonders of text messaging; its fast and its easy. We impulsively respond to that buzz of our phones and often tune out of our surroundings. Unfortunately, an overwhelming amount of drivers don’t hesitate to both read and respond to text messages while driving. Using a mobile phone or texting while driving causes the driver to become extremely distracted and affects the focus of the driver.

It affects the driver as much as the impairment of alcohol. In Australia, 2012 at least 25% of auto collisions involved mobile phones…. That’s 1.3 million crashes… Vehicle crashes are one of the top causes of deaths for 15 to 20 year olds. 11 teen deaths everyday are caused by texting whilst driving. That could be you, you, you, any of you. Do you really care about your phones so much that you want to be 1 of those 11 teens. Imagine this, it’s a beautiful day for a drive, the sun is out, windows rolled down, the music on softly, just a perfect day. Then you look down at your phone, just briefly, quick enough to remove your eyes from the road, then BAM, you hit a car, kill the passengers in it, the mum, the dad, the baby, and have to live with it for the rest of your life. Is it worth it?

Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. Sending or receiving a text takes a drivers eyes from the road for an average of 4.8 seconds, when travelling 100 kilometers per hour, that’s enough time to cover the length of an entire football field, blind.

According to an article done by Larry Copeland, there was a teenage girl by the name of Mariah West, who like many of us, was an extremely devoted texter. She was so good that she could text at dinnertime under the table, without anyone noticing. As many of us do today. All of her friends had seen her texting and driving, they tried to warn her that it was dangerous, but because she thought she was so good at texting, she didn’t think it was dangerous at all. Yet her luck ran out. 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 and crashed. Mariah passed away that day, the last text she received was “Where you at? I can’t wait to see you”. That text? Or your life? No text is worth dying over.

The Department of Automobile Association has proven that in 2012 it was estimated that more then 13 trillion text messages were sent in Australia while driving. Can you believe that? I was shocked. It is illegal in all Australian states and territories to use a hand held mobile phone while driving. This includes; talking, texting, playing games, taking photos and using any other function on your phone. Using a hand held mobile phone is also illegal when your vehicle is stationary but not parked. For example, when you’re stopped at traffic lights. Drivers who break this law face an on the spot fine and lose three demerit points.

Text-messaging while driving results in physical, visual and cognitive distraction. Research shows that receiving and sending text messages increases the amount of time a driver spends not looking at the road.

Research also shows that texting and talking on a mobile phone while driving can lead to; incorrect lane changes, missing road signs and hazards like pedestrians and other vehicles, slow reactions, slower and less controlled braking. Not being alert to your surroundings, for instance when using a mobile phone, means that you tend to spend less time checking your mirrors and what’s going on around you.

Here are some safety tips for you all, use voicemail, pull over and park to use your phone, if you love your family and friends tell them not to call when you know you’ll be driving. Stay safe. Drive now text later. A mobile phone can be important in an emergency, however if you need to use your mobile phone to call for help, stop and park safely where you will not endanger other road users or yourself. Stop texts, stop wrecks.

If I still haven’t convinced you, don’t think you’ll get away with it. The police have ways of knowing. Signs that police notice that suggest that a driver might be texting include weaving in traffic, making longer stops, driving at inconsistent speeds and driving with your head down. Police have now asked all P platers to keep all mobile phones in the glove box or you will receive an on the spot fine.

Most people think before they drink and drive, but most do not think twice about texting and driving. Next time you are in the driver’s seat and reach down to pull out your mobile phone, think twice and think about the dangers involved in texting while driving. Not only will it save your life, but it may also save the lives of others around you. So now in closing, I ask you, how many of you will still consider using your phone whilst driving.