Generation tXt: Power Point Presentation
Speakers' Notes, 10 pages
Updated for Speakers 9/22/2011
Slide 1: Stop Drop Drive Bumper Sticker
Updated September 7, 2011 for Speakers’ Bureau training.
29 slides. 13 pages. 25-30 minutes to present. Includes 1085 ECHO video.
For 2 speakers: Slides 1-20, and 21-27.
For 3 speakers: Slides 1-10, 11-20, 21-27.
If adults are not present, change some of your talk:
Slide 25-Delete
Slide 26– only say paragraphs 2 and 3
Slide 27—only say the first paragraph
Slide 28– you may skip this slide or do it depending on audience
Slide 2: Y GentXt?
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You may be asking, "Why do they call themselves Generation txt?"
This graph shows that cell phone texting has become the preferred method of
communication between teens and our friends.
Among all teens the frequency of use of texting has overtaken the frequency of
every other common form of interaction– including talking face to face!!
One in three teens send over 100 texts a day. That’s over 3000 texts a month!!!
Slide 3: Things to know: How many texts?
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In fact, it is not just teens who are texting.
Did you know that 10 years ago there were 14 million text messages sent per
month in the US?
Five years ago there were 10 Billion texts per month.
And only four years later, there were 135 BILLION text messages sent monthly
in the US.
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Slide 4: Things to Know: Pie chart
Over 5000 teens in the United States die from motor vehicle crashes every year.
• The pie chart is showing you teen deaths only .
• The statistic for INJURIES in teen drivers is much higher. In fact, one out of
every five 16 year olds will be in a car crash. Some of these may be minor, but
many will cause injury, disability and death.
• If we know what the causes of these accidents are, we can change these statistics.
• Most crashes involving teens are due to distracted driving. Things like noisy
passengers, eating, putting on make-up, alcohol, drugs, and sleepiness.
• Today we are here to tell you about one of the most dangerous of all distracted
driving activities– cell phone use, especially texting while driving.
Slide 5: Texting while Driving Defined
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What do we mean by the phrase texting while driving?
It means anything that involves reading a message, and typing something in
response– while driving.
We even know that dialing a phone number takes your eyes and mind off the
road.
So calling, emailing, twitter, and texting are all included in what we will talk
about today.
Slide 6: The problem #1 (Number 1 Distraction, Increased Risk)
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Nearly half of teen drivers admit to texting while driving, yet they also admit that
it is their number one distraction.
We as teens know that distracted driving may result in crashes, which could cause
death or disability, but we still feel the need to stay connected.
The true risk of crash is not well defined. However, research in the field indicates
a much greater risk of crash or near crash when texting.
Depending on the vehicle being driven, there is an 8 to 23 times greater risk of
crash or near crash.
In fact, Texting and driving is thought to increase risk of crash more than that
which is due to driving drunk
The National Safety Council estimates the number of crashes per year, due to
texting, to be between 200, 000 and one million.
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Slide 7: The problem #2 (Research on teens)
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The Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed 800 pairs of teens and their
parent.
• Researchers found that nearly three fourths of teens ages 16-17, who
are texters themselves, have been in a car when the driver is texting.
• Try to remember this statistic when we talk about strategies for
passengers to reduce their risk.
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In a study called, “The Effects of Text Messaging on Young Drivers”, researchers
found that teen drivers spent up to 400% more time with their eyes off the road
when text messaging than when not text messaging. Teens were also less able to
maintain their lane position, and to respond to traffic signs.
Slide 8: Trivia Question: What is the Cost? I C $$$$$
Thought you might like to try your luck at answering one of our trivia questions.
• Many accidents caused by texting while driving are “minor” with damage to the
body of one or more cars. What is the average cost of an accident without injury?
A. Minimal, less than $100 per car
B. $100-$500 per car
C. About $1000 per car, OR
D. Over $2000 per car
Slide 9: Trivia answer: I C $$$$$
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The National Safety Council has estimated the average cost of a non-injury
motor vehicle crash to be $2400 per person.
For any of you who have had a job, $2400 is what you would earn if you worked:
• for minimum wage,
• for 8 hours a day,
• from Monday through Friday,
• for an entire summer!!!
• That's 373 hours of wages LOST to pay for repairs!!!
And, repairing body damage to your car is only one of the costs:
• It's inconvenient to be without a car when it is being repaired.
• Your insurance premium will go up if the accident is reported to an
insurance company.
• Hiring a lawyer is another expense.
• And, If someone is injured the cost of even a minor wreck increases
significantly.
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Slide 10: Trivia Crash with injury cost
These are government agency estimates of the per person cost of motor vehicle
accidents that cause injury.
• The overall cost includes motor vehicle damage, medical expenses, and lost
productivity.
• The true cost of a death does not include the pain and suffering incurred by family
and friends.
Slide 11: Why is TWD dangerous?
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It seems logical that texting while driving is the ultimate distraction.
First , it involves taking your eyes off the road during both reading and typing a
response. This seems obvious. But, in addition to one's eyes glancing away from
the road, the brain actually skips over things it should be "processing" and
reacting to on the road.
Second, one hand or both hands will be off the steering wheel while typing in a
message. This causes swerving out of lanes. Also, it increases the amount of
time it takes to steer away from unexpected hazards. In avoiding a crash,
every millisecond counts!!
Third, it takes away the full focus of one’s mind on the task of driving. We will
show you research indicating that the brain cannot perform two complex tasks at
the same time.
Slide 12: Driving Blind cartoon
This cartoon looks crazy, but we are about to tell you how this could actually happen to
all of us. "Driving Distractions Dumb us Down."
Slide 13: Driving Blind = Inattention Blindness
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When your brain is trying to perform two tasks, such as texting and driving, the
performance level of one or both tasks will decline.
Distracted drivers experience what researchers call “inattention blindness”.
This means exactly what it sounds like; you literally become partially blind, due
to the fact that you are not paying full attention to driving. Here is an example;
Slide 14: Undistracted road scene
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This is a scene showing what a driver would see if he or she was not distracted.
Notice that there are four things on the road.
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Slide 15: Distracted road scene
As you can see in the bottom portion of the screen, when the driver pulls out his cell
phone to text, he becomes blind to some of the features on the road.
• Notice half of the obstacles have disappeared.
• It is estimated that inattention blindness can result in the inability to “see” 50%
of objects on the road.
• Even more worrisome, is that those drivers who miss road cues do not know that
they have filtered out important information. These drivers are UNAWARE that
they are UNAWARE!! The fact that we do not "see" our own driving errors , is
a big part of what makes the problem of "Texting While Driving" so difficult to
fix.
Slide 16: Attention video
Now I’m going to have you do a quick activity to show you how your brain works. There
is going to be a short video on screen and I want you to count how many passes the
people in the white shirts make with the basketball. There will be people with black
shirts on too. Do not count their passes. Pay full attention and count very carefully. At
the end of the video, the first person to get the correct answer wins a prize. If you have
already seen this video please do not say anything for those who have not.
After the video:
1. So how many passes were made? {17 or 18 are acceptable answers}
2. Don’t say anything I just want a show of hands.
3. Raise your hand if you have seen the video before.
4. For those of you who have never seen the video raise your hand if you noticed
anything strange in the video.
5. For those of you who can remember the first time you saw it, did you notice
anything strange.
6. Here’s what happened. A gorilla walked into the scene, beat his chest, and walked
out of the scene. [Replay video if most of the audience didn’t see it]
7. This is a demonstration of selective attention. Psychologists have shown that about
50% of people will NOT see the gorilla due to the fact that they were fully focused on
another task. This supports the phenomenon of inattention blindness. We would like to
point out that counting passes is NOT nearly as complex a task as driving.
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Slide 17: Research Studies
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There are over 50 research studies now that have looked at what actually happens
when drivers try to use their cell phones while driving.
Road studies show that even the most experienced drivers and the best texters:
• drive too slowly,
• have slower braking response to road hazards,
• and drift into other lanes– including into oncoming traffic.
Researchers have found that cell phone use while driving results in failure to
check mirrors and instruments.
At intersections, these distracted drivers do not check stop lights, and traffic on
the right before they enter the intersection.
As you have already guessed, these are all significant driving errors. The kind
that result in crash or near crash.
Even if you do not read the research, the media reports tragedies involving young
drivers and cell phones almost every day.
Slide 18: What you think you know, but don't:
Our own focus groups with new drivers, and large national studies confirm the fact that
cell phone use while driving is not as easy, or as natural, as some of us may have once
believed.
• First: Researchers have tested experienced drivers who are also efficient texters
to see if they can ever get good at texting while driving. These studies have
shown that practice does not make perfect. In this case, texting a familiar set of
sentences and driving a familiar route, did not reduce the risk of crash.
• Second: Brain studies show that your brain switches from one complex task to
the other even with familiar or automatic tasks. So, if you are driving, then start
to text, your brain cannot fully attend to the details of driving. Rather, it switches
to reading and writing text messages. The switch happens quickly without us
being aware of it. The brain can switch back and forth; but, simulated road
studies show that switching cannot happen quickly enough to avoid committing
deadly driving errors.
• Third: It seems that people of all ages think that “it won’t happen to me”. And,
it’s no secret that we as teens feel that we are “INVINCIBLE”.In fact, parts of the
teen brain are not fully mature until age 25. The frontal cortex, which controls
our ability to know right from wrong, is one of these immature parts. It’s just
biology that teens cannot always make good judgment calls. We could reduce
driving risks, if we drive like it could happen to me– or, to my friends and
family.
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Slide 19: Things to think about :
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We all think we are better than average drivers. However, now that researchers
have shown us that our brains make us UNAWARE that we are UNAWARE,
we should realize that none of us are exceptions.
Have you noticed how many drivers are talking or texting on our roads? Next
time you are a passenger take a look at every driver around you. It’s pretty scary.
Are you ready for those distracted drivers when you are on the road?? You
actually need to be more focused while driving, due to those distracted drivers
around you.
Remember to be considerate of others on the road. A crash affects many people,
not just YOU. We are about to show you a video of a true story about a teen
who killed 2 men. As you are watching, think about how many people’s lives
were affected by his choice to send a few text messages to his girlfriend-- while
driving.
Slide 20: How it has affected others: Reggie Shaw video introduction
Reggie Shaw, at age 19, thought he was experienced enough to text while driving. He
was wrong.
• Here is a "Sparks Notes" version of the You Tube video that tells his story.
• We want you to pay attention to how little his car drifted over the center-line
of the highway, when the accident that killed two men occurred.
Slide 21: 1085 ECHO
Slide 22: Stop TEXT and DIE
Now that we have discussed the problem, we want to spend the rest of our time talking
about strategies to make it easier to stop, or never start, texting and driving.
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Slide 23: Strategies 4 Teens
This slide says that these are strategies for teens. However, we think that many of these
are good strategies for drivers of all ages, and experience levels.
• First and most importantly, turn your cell phone off or to a silent mode
BEFORE you start the engine. Turning the vibrate mode off is important. The
sound of a phone vibrating is easily heard, and just as tempting as a ring tone or
beep. Did you know that It takes less than 2 seconds to turn a phone off, to
silent, or to the airplane mode? So, even if you are in a hurry, you are spending
only 2 seconds to use this strategy. In case you are wondering, the airplane mode
interrupts all wireless signals (calls, emails, and texts) and just happens to be right
at the top of the list under “Settings”.
• Another approach is to DROP your phone in the back seat or out of reach. Most
of our peers say they would not be tempted to reach for their phone if it is in the
glove compartment, in the back seat, or buried in a backpack.
• If you need to text, you can always pull off the road to a safe place, stop driving
and then make your call or text a response.
• If you have a passenger with you, you can put him or her in charge of texting for
you while on the road.
• We have a slogan called, Stop, Drop and Drive. Before starting the engine,
we Stop to turn our cell phone off , or to silent mode, or to Airplane mode; Then
we DROP our cell phone out of reach; only then can we start our DRIVE. Try
this strategy and see if it works for you. Start every drive with the thought:
Stop, Drop and Drive.
Slide 24: Can Parents Influence Teens?
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So we have some promising news for parents now! The First National Young
Driver Survey, asked almost 6000 teens what could influence them to stop using
their cell phones while driving. Sixty six percent said that their parents could
influence them to stop, or never start, texting while driving.
Parental influence is however a two edged sword. Several national surveys, and
our own focus groups, reveal that young teens model their parents’ driving
behavior. Many teens tell us that their parents text and drive safely, because they
are experienced drivers. The implication? That someday they will be
experienced enough to text and drive too.
We want to remind you that you are modeling driving behavior for your children
over those many years of driving to and from school, piano lessons, and soccer
practices. Children learn from their parents’ example.
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Slide 25: Strategies 4 Parents
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So, given the fact that a majority of teens admit that parents can influence their
behavior, it makes sense that modeling safe driving is a good strategy for parents.
• Now that we have been working on this project for over one year, we think that
this next strategy is likely the most important one that you will hear today
(tonight).
Anyone who is ever a passenger in a car needs a strategy to help him or her speak up
when the driver is texting.
Being prepared with a statement that safely and effectively stops the driver from
texting can be a lifesaver; here is why:
Most of our Gentxt members have been caught off-guard as passengers in cars being
driven by close friends and relatives. As passengers, we realized that the driver was
texting only after the car drifted over the center-line, or almost into a tree. Despite our
expertise in this campaign to stop texting and driving, even we have been unprepared to
get ourselves out of this situation. While still in danger, one girl started crying and
yelling at the driver, one boy wrestled the phone away from his friend, another asked to
see his grandfather’s Blackberry, supposedly because he had never seen one before.
Practicing before you or your teen gets into this difficult spot may help to quickly and
safely gain control of the situation. We suggest coming up with a simple statement that
you or your teen can use every time, like, Can I borrow your cell phone, I need to
make a call. My battery is low”,… or “my service is spotty.”
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Parent-teen driving contracts are effective. You can customize on-line
examples to include the expectation that your teen will not text and drive.
Slide 26: It's the Law!
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On November first, 2010, a new anti-texting law went into effect in Oklahoma.
• This law makes it illegal, only for teens with permits and
intermediate driver’s licenses, to use any hand held device
while driving.
• This includes cell phones, and MP3 players for
talking, texting, and even changing music while
driving.
• A ticket could mean license suspension, fines, and
a court appearance.
During this past legislative session, the Oklahoma legislature voted down two
bills, which would have made it illegal for everyone in Oklahoma to text and
drive. We believe that adopting a universal ban on texting and driving is the
right thing to do.
• Now is the perfect time to have a significant voice here in
Oklahoma. We need your support.
• Please write your house and senate representatives and let them
know how you feel about this important issue. The website for
finding your legislator's contact information is www. ok
legislature. gov
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Slide 27: Cell Phone Blockers
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Unfortunately, we know that passing a law is only the first step in changing
people’s behavior. In North Carolina, the number of teens observed using cell
phones actually increased after the state ban was imposed.
Sixty percent of teens, who live in states that have laws restricting cell phone use
or texting, do not abide by these laws.
So what is a possible solution?
The National Safety Council believes that Cell Phone blocker technology will be
the ultimate solution to stop teen cell phone use while driving.
• Cell phone blockers restrict phone call and texting use while driving.
• Most have a message stating that the phone’s owner is driving and will get
back with the caller or texter as soon as the car is stopped.
• These are legal to install on any personal cell phone because they are not
jamming the signal.
• They all allow emergency override functions which allow you to use the
911 emergency function.
• In addition, all devices and services are significantly less expensive than
the cost of even one low impact crash.
• This technology is becoming more widely available to consumers.
• Availabe blockers work on many Android and Blackberry
Smart phones. Technology that works with the iPhone is on
the horizon.
Slide 28: 30 second PSA
Slide 29: Be the New Generation
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We hope you will join us in spreading our message. You can get involved as a
new teen member, and we can help you to start a new club at your high school.
Please consider partnering with us to generate new and exciting ideas to keep us
all driving safely.
You may contact us to join Generation txt through our website
www.mygentxt.org. When you search for us remember that text is spelled tXt
without the e in text. Our website is young, so it will not come up if you type in
mygent-e-x-t.
Thanks for your attention. Any questions?
We have free bumper stickers for your cars. And you can purchase a tee shirt for
$10 or wrist band for $3, or 2 for $5.
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