Lanette Burgos
Carl Bishop
COM 110 IN2
18 July 2011
Persuasive Speech Outline (Version 1)
Title: Use of Cell Phones while Driving
Specific Purpose: Inform the audience of a problem, giving them a solution, and persuading them
to rid the bad habits.

Introduction
o Attention Material: Cell phones may be one of the greatest sources of technology
made by man, but we’ve turned it into a sort of bad habit now days. Texting has
brain washed your children’s minds to the point that if you take it away from
them, it’s like they go through withdraws from an addiction to heroine.
o Tie to the Audience: Everyone, just about, owns a cell phone; it’s become a need
more than a want. It’s the best way to keep in touch with family and friend’s
whereabouts or for emergencies. Only problem is, people are beginning to use it
at the wrong places, such as driving.
o Credibility Material: I own a phone of course, and like everyone else, I text
messages to my friends, sometimes even my mom and my own grandmother. But
I know how to use it properly without putting myself and others in danger. While
I’m driving, I pretend like my phone isn’t even there. If my mother or my father is
trying to call me while I’m on the road, I answer it and quickly tell them I’m on
the road and that I will get back to them ASAP. Other than that, I don’t touch it.
o Preview: People need to change their bad habits of talking and texting on their
phone while driving because it has become an enormous issue in our nation. Two
main points are the problem with talking on cell phones while driving and a
simple solution to stopping the habitual problem.

Body
o Subject Idea 1: While operating a vehicle on the road, drivers use peripheral
vision and senses as to focusing on what is going on ahead of them while moving
along through traffic. Our minds are focused on that one thing, to get to our
destination safely, hoping to get from point A to point B without any problems,
until suddenly our cell phones go off, scattering the brain out of concentration and
focusing on finding the phone and answering it. Now, you are no longer focusing
on the road, but are now distracted by the voice on the other side of the phone.

Support 1: In the article “Driven to Distractions: Cell Phones in the Car”
written by Joanne Helperin from Edmunds_Inside Line posted May 5,
2009, she writes that cell phones are the same or less of a distraction than
changing the radio station inside your car. Over dozens of states have
banned the use of cell phones being used while driving. Driving while
talking on the phone cripples our ability to operate the car effectively in
order to keep us safe.

Support 2: The University of Utah wrote an article, “Drivers On Cell
Phones Are As Bad As Drunks” on the U News Center: The University of
Utah on June 29, 2009 of comparing drivers while on the phone to drivers
intoxicated at the legal blood alcohol level of 0.08. 40 participants were
used in different tests being intoxicated at the legal alcohol level and using
both hands-on and hands-free and were all no different than the other.

Support 3: In the article “Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it?Feature” from Car and Driver: Intelligence. Independence. Irreverence.
Posted June of 2009, Micheal Austin writes that from 9 billion to 110
billion messages were sent between the years of 2005 and 2008, and the
numbers are scaling up sky high. More than a few of those messages were
sent from people who were behind the wheel. Researchers decided to do
tests with real cars with people texting while using a runway strip at an
airport. While doing so, they did tests with drivers being intoxicated and
researchers took down their reaction time breaking to traffic lights done by
a light that would turn on at the windshield. Researchers found that they
were four times late of reaction time than being intoxicated or without
using a cell phone.
o Subject Idea 2: So many ridiculous accidents have occurred due to people talking
on their phones because they were paying more attention to the person who was
on the other line instead of keeping their eyes on the road ahead of them. Here is
an easy picture for me to explain to all who can easily get the message: don’t use
your cell phone while you drive. Simple as that.

Support1: Amy Williams article “National Safety Council Estimates that
At Least 1.6 Million Crashes Each Year Involve Drivers Using Cell
Phones and Texting” from the National Safety Council posted January 1,
2010, estimates that 1.4 million crashes each year involve drivers using
cell phones and a minimum of 200,000 other crashes each year involve
texting. These numbers give legislators evidence and actions to prevent
less fatalities due to the use of cell phones and texting while behind the
wheel. In 2009, there was a little bit better progress thanks to people who
were beginning to understand that texting while driving was dangerous
(sad it took people that long to figure that out).

Support 2: In the article “Talking Distractions: Why Cell Phones And
Driving Don’t Mix”, written by the Science Daily on June 1, 2008, a study
was done by psychology researchers from the University of South
Carolina of why talking and listening, both being on a cell phone or
involving another passenger, interferes with our driving. Subjects used in
the experiment were studied of their attention level and were found to be
four times more distracted while talking than listening (so imagine
texting).

Support 3: The article “Study: Cell phone bans don’t reduce accidents” on
CNN posted January 29, 2010 is written that laws made banning handheld devices in vehicles has not changed the occurrence of accidents. Both
hand-held and free-hand still give the same risk when you’re driving,
changing nothing neither before nor after the laws were put into play.
Crash rates are the same in states that are banned the same as states who
still have not yet made it illegal to use phones. The cause may be that
drivers are now resorting to using hands-free devices, whose accident rates
are the same as hand-held.

Conclusion: The problem being the use of cell phones while driving is easy to take
control of. The easy solution that is written out right in front of you; stop using phones
while driving. Cell phones distract us while we drive, either it being in our hands or one
of those fancy blue tooth ear pieces. It’s the person on the other line keeping us distracted
while we drive. Use your phone like an intelligent person would. Use your cell phone
only when really necessary like if you’re having car troubles or there is some kind of
emergency. But hold the gossip and chattering for when you’re off the road and out of
harm’s way, keeping yourself and others safe. Just think, when you pick up the phone
while you’re driving, you are being just as bad as a drunk driver.
Sources
Helperin, Joanne. “Driven to Distractions: Cell Phones in the Car.” Edmunds.com.
Edmunds_ Inside Line. 5 May 2009. Web. 9 July 2011.
The University of Utah. “Drivers On Cell Phones Are As Bad As Drunks.” unews.utah.edu. U
News Center: The University of Utah. 29 June 2009. Web. 9 July 2011
Austin, Micheal. “Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it?-Feature.” caranddriver.com.
Car and Driver: Intelligence. Independence. Irreverence. June 2009. Web. 9 July 2011
Williams, Amy. “National Safety Council Estimates that At Least 1.6 Million Crashes Each Year
Involve Drivers Using Cell Phones and Texting.” nsc.org. National Safety Council.
1 January 2010. Web. 9 July 2011.
“Talking Distractions: Why Cell Phones And Driving Don’t Mix.” sciencedaily.com.
Science Daily. 1 June 2008. Web. 11 July 2011.
“Study: Cell phone bans don’t reduce accidents.” cnn.com. CNN.
29 January 2010. Web. 11 July 2011.
Persuasive Speech Outline (Key Words)

Cellular
o Bad habit
o Need> want
o Being used wrong time
o Me
o Problem, simple solution

Driving senses, distraction
o Driven to Distractions: Cell Phones in the Car, Joanne Helperin, Edmunds_Inside
Line5/5/2009

Cell Phones= car radio
o Drivers On Cell Phones Are As Bad As Drunks, U News Center: The University
of Utah 6/29/2009

Cellular=drunks
o Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it? Micheal Austin, Car and Driver:
Intelligence. Independence. Irreverence. 6/2009


9,000,000,000/110,000,000,000 texts 2005-2008
So, my policy being, don’t use phones
o NSC Estimates that At Least 1.6 Million Crashes Each Year Involve Drivers
Using Cell Phones and Texting NSC 1/1/2010

1.4 Million crashes, 200,00 texting
o Talking Distractions: Why Cell Phones And Driving Don’t Mix, Science Daily
6/1/2008

University of SC

4x distracted talking> listening
o Study: Cell phone bans don’t reduce accidents, CNN 1/29/2010


Laws=no difference
Our responsibility
Sources
Helperin, Joanne. “Driven to Distractions: Cell Phones in the Car.” Edmunds.com.
Edmunds_ Inside Line. 5 May 2009. Web. 9 July 2011.
The University of Utah. “Drivers On Cell Phones Are As Bad As Drunks.” unews.utah.edu. U
News Center: The University of Utah. 29 June 2009. Web. 9 July 2011
Austin, Micheal. “Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it?-Feature.” caranddriver.com.
Car and Driver: Intelligence. Independence. Irreverence. June 2009. Web. 9 July 2011
Williams, Amy. “National Safety Council Estimates that At Least 1.6 Million Crashes Each Year
Involve Drivers Using Cell Phones and Texting.” nsc.org. National Safety Council.
1 January 2010. Web. 9 July 2011.
“Talking Distractions: Why Cell Phones And Driving Don’t Mix.” sciencedaily.com.
Science Daily. 1 June 2008. Web. 11 July 2011.
“Study: Cell phone bans don’t reduce accidents.” cnn.com. CNN.
29 January 2010. Web. 11 July 2011.