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Communications 1020-051"
Professor Roger Johnson"
August 13, 2014"
Dangers of Drowsy Driving Speech!
Topic: Why you should never drive drowsy."
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Audience Analysis: Not many of the students have been impacted by drowsy driving, but many
have been impacted by drunk driving. I will try to persuade my audience that drowsy driving is
just as big of a problem."
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General Purpose: To persuad"e"
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Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience of the dangers of driving drowsy."
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Thesis: Everyone knows that drunk driving is a real problem, but drowsy driving can be every bit
as dangerous."
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Introduction"
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I.
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I am sure many of you have known better than to drive while intoxicated. It is easy to make
a conscientious decision not to drive after a night of drinking. What about driving drowsy?
Let’s say you were up late studying for that test at school. You had to get up early. You get
ready for school and start to drive. That lack of sleep starts to kick in, and before you know
it, you have fallen asleep. If you are lucky you may only wreck your own car or cause injury
or death to yourself. Unfortunately, you may also kill and injure others. What if one those you
killed was a child, a young single mother, or a hard working father on his way home from
work. (Gain Attention)(Pathos)"
II. According to www.drowsydriving.org, a sleep in America poll in 2005 found that sixty percent
of adult drivers or one-hundred-sixy-eight million people admitted to driving drowsy within
the year prior to the survey. (Logos) (Statistic)"
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III. According to this same source, thirty-seven percent or 103 million have actually fallen
asleep at the wheel. What is more disturbing is that thirteen percent admitted that they had done
so at least once a month. Four percent have actually caused an accident. (Logos) (Fact)"
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IV. According to CBC news, Dr. Adam Moscovitch, the medical director at the Sleep and Fatigue
Institute in Calgary, says being awake for 20 hours impairs driving ability as much as having a
blood alcohol level of .08. (Testimony) (Logos)"
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V. What I will be speaking to you about today is the dangers of driving while drowsy. (Preview
Topic)"
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VI. In addition, I will be sharing a couple of stories with you in hopes of raising awareness of
this disturbing issue. (Preview Main Points)."
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VII. I will be using resources from statistical studies, testimonials, and expert witnesses as a
basis for the information I will share with you. (Establish Credibility)"
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VIII. Hopefully after I I have given this speech, you will all try harder to be aware of your own
cognitive abilities before you get behind the wheel. It is my hope that you will not have to bear
the burden of knowing that you took a life, because you did not think beforehand. (Pathos)
(Motivate Audience)"
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Body (Narrative)"
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I.
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Let me tell you about about Joshua Ross Andrews. He was the youngest of three children.
According to his memorial testimony, he had a kind heart and was a really loving fifteen year
old. On March 14, 2004 he was on his way to Montana with his dad, Lonnie Andrews."
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A. They were hit head on by a nineteen year old national guardsman who had been up
for fifty-six hours straight on duty."
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B. He fell asleep at the wheel and had his cruise control set at seventy miles per hour."
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C. Lonnie swerved completely off the road in an effort to avoid the drowsy driver, but it
was too late and nothing could be done.Joshua and his father were both killed instantly."
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D. His mother now must raise her other two children alone. She did not have a chance to
say goodbye to her son or her husband. This is all because someone made a bad decision to
drive drowsy. (Narrative) (Example) (Pathos)"
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II. It is not just the victims of drowsy driving that lose. The perpetrators also may be prosecuted
under various criminal statutes."
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A. One such example is Ophadell Williams. He was a bus driver that was put on trial for
manslaughter charges in association with a crash he caused. "
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B. He was returning to Chinatown from an overnight trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino in
Connecticut. His bus struck a guardrail in the Bronx and it flipped over. "
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D. In the end, fifteen people lost their lives.(Example)"
B. Fortunately he was acquitted of the charges, many others are not so lucky."
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Conclusion"
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I.
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In conclusion I hope that everyone will take extreme care, before getting behind the wheel.
(Conclusion) Driving drowsy is extremely dangerous, and you may easily harm yourself or
others. (Review Topic And Purpose). "
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II. Through the stories I have shared, you can see that everyone pays the price for those who
drive drowsy, including the victims and the perpetrator. (Review Main Points) I would like to
ask that each of you carefully consider if you are alert enough to drive, because life is far too
precious and too fleeting for even a moments lapse in judgement. Who knows, the life you
save may be your own or that of someone you love. (Challenge Audience)(End Memorably)"
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Presentation Aid:"
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Supporting Materials (Citations)"
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1. "Drowsy Driving - Stay Alert, Arrive Alive." Drowsy Driving Stay Alert Arrive Alive RSS.
National Sleep Foundation, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 Aug. 2014. (Fact & Statistic)"
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2. Andrews, Tawna. "Drowsy Driving - Stay Alert, Arrive Alive." Drowsy Driving Stay Alert
Arrive Alive RSS. National Sleep Foundation. Web. 10 Aug. 2014. (Narrative)"
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3. News, CBC. "Drowsy Driving as Dangerous as Drunk Driving, Sleep Expert Says."
CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 23 July 2014. Web. 10 Aug. 2014. (Testimony)"
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4. Hu, Winnie, and Nate Schweber. "Bus Driver Found Not Guilty of Manslaughter in
I-95 Crash." The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Aug. 2014.
(Example)