Bruce Swift-Spicer

13 April 2016
Ms. Gail Richard
Composition II
Proposal
Over thirty-seven thousand people and counting have died in car accidents every year.
Thats a pretty high estimate for distracted driving and people are still utilizing their phones
while driving. The problem today is that distracted driving is a very dangerous activity that has
been occurring in todays world. I am trying to stop distracted driving in the United States so that
there will be less accidents and safer driving. In this proposal, my primary objective is to inform
others the dangers of distracted driving. My goal is to decrease automobile accidents through
facts and statistics so that our roads will be safer to drive on. There should not be so many
accidents because of reckless drivers that want to use their phone. In this proposal, my primary
objective is to stop distracted driving accidents to improve better road conditions. I am informing
everyone to help spread the word about the dangers, deaths, and statistics of distracted driving.
Distracted driving is being involved in any type of activity that takes your attention away from
the road. These distractions put not only you but the passengers and innocent bystanders in
danger. These distractions can be texting, being on the phone, eating, doing makeup, talking to
other passengers in the car, watching some type of video, adjusting the gps, or even changing the
radio station or CD player to your liking. According to "Facts and Statistics." Distracted
Driving : Facts And Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016., Ten percent of all drivers 15 to 19
years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age

group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of the crashes. This
is a big problem affecting our teenagers today.
My idea of trying to change the nation through important information from this year
alone will heavily decrease distracted driving, improve road safety, and spread the word to others
who drive while being on their phone. Around the early two thousands, some people started to
text and drive when smartphones started making an appearance. Smartphones had become
normal during that time because they were a faster means of communicating with other people.
This is a very important issue because people are not understanding the severity of distracted
driving. Distracted driving causes deaths among teenagers mostly and other bystanders. A
vehicle speeding at seventy miles per hour hitting another car or person is a serious death that
nobody should have to experience. Our roads are not known as a safe place morning, night or
day because of distracted driving. It can happen at anytime and anyplace. The major cause of
distracted driving is the use of cellphones while behind the wheel. Just a quick glance to see a
text message can cause an instant death in less than a second. The increase of cell phone use
behind the wheel has increased to an extreme rate and is still increasing today especially in our
younger generation. According to "Facts and Statistics." Distracted Driving : Facts And
Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. Drivers in their 20s are 23 percent of drivers in all fatal
crashes, but are 27 percent of the distracted drivers and 38 percent of the distracted drivers who
were using cell phones in fatal crashes. This is a great source for the problem today. This
problem should be taken into extreme consideration because of how highly this impacts our
nation. There should be a change in direction of people on the road today. That all their focus
should be on the road and surrounding drivers. There are way too many lives at stake.

To decrease distracted driving in our nation, I will propose a seminar that will include
statistics, facts, and images of the cause and effects of distracted driving. First, I will draw in all
the information about distracted driving that will really hit the heart of people who drive.
Second, I plan to hold these seminars in public places like bookstores, community centers, parks,
etc. Places that most people would be around to hear the seminar. The final step will be to
address a change by creating a petition to not allow people to be on their phones unless its an
important phone call or emergency. The people that will carry out this process will be adults who
have an opinion about others that are involved in distracted driving activity. There should also be
police forces monitoring the road and highway for people that utilize their phone or are even
doing a distracted activity that could cause harm, serious injury or death to other drivers and
bystanders. According to "CAA Distracted Driving." CAA Distracted Driving. N.p., n.d. Web. 21
Apr. 2016. Cell phones are one of the most common distractions for drivers. Drivers
engaged in text messaging on a cellular phone are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash
or near crash event compared with non-distracted drivers. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute,
2010). Cell phone usage while driving should be banded so that we will have better driving rates.
"CAA Distracted Driving." CAA Distracted Driving. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. Also states
that, 84% of distracted-driving-related fatalities in the US were tied to the general
classification of carelessness or inattentiveness (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
2009) this a very big epidemic in todays world and should be stopped immediately. When you
are on your phone youre showing carelessness to others passenger's lives and surrounding
drivers.
Distracted driving kills people fast without warning and once it has happened theres no
turning back. Looking at your phone, responding to a text message or even just being on a phone

call are all types of ways you can be in car accident. Your full attention is not on the road. The
cause and effects of distracted driving are pretty simple. The cause starts with taking your eyes
off the road to engage in some type of action on your phone whether its looking at a message or
texting one. The effect of doing that activity could highly result in death or serious injury to
yourself, your passengers, or the other person you might have hit while driving. I plan to use the
Y.A.P(young adult program) to help me conduct safe ways to for noticing a distracted driver on
the road, what to do, and how to go about it. The Y.A.P is a great program that helps young adult
in high school eighteen and up teach and direct the dangers of driving and how to watch out for
distracted drivers. When I was a senior in high school, the Y.A.P came to our school and gave us
a two day lecture about distracted driving. They used very descriptive pictures, statistics, videos,
and examples of what could happen if you take your attention of the road. The Y.A.P has been to
many schools around Little Rock, Arkansas to inform others students about the dangers of
distracted driving The "CAA Distracted Driving." CAA Distracted Driving. N.p., n.d. Web. 21
Apr. 2016. States that Driver distraction is a factor in about 4 million motor vehicle crashes in
North America each year. This is just North America alone. About 430,000 people are killed or
seriously injured each year from distracted driving. According to "Distracted Driving in the
United States and Europe." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. Talking, texting, and reading email
behind the wheel may be more of a problem in the United States than in Europe. A 2011 CDC
study compared the percentage of distracted drivers in the United States and seven European
countries: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United
Kingdom. Overall, the study found that a higher percentage of U.S. drivers talked on the phone
and read or sent emails or texts while driving than drivers in several other European countries.

For example, the study found that 69 percent of U.S. drivers ages 18-64 years old reported that
they had talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed,
compared to drivers from the United Kingdom. Even Europe, Portugal, the United Kingdom
and other countries go through distracted driving. Its not just a local problem, its a worldwide
problem.
Distracted driving is a very dangerous activity that has been increasing in the world today. To
break down the cost and estimates, conducting the seminar will be about fifteen dollars a person
and two hundred dollars told a hotel meeting room for two days during the seminar. The major
benefits of the seminar are a free pamphlet about distracted driving, better understanding about
distracted driving, and a bumper sticker that says, I am not a distracted driver. This proposal is
important because too many people, mainly teens, are causing deaths for themselves and for
others around them. This is a highly important case because what most people fail to realize is
that the moment you take your attention from the road, you are putting someones life in danger.
A positive look to the future is a promising road of safe free accidents and better driving.