A Plea for Safer Driving

A Plea for Safer Driving

An outline by Randall Smith

Purpose: To get people to be more courteous and therefore safer drivers.

Attention: A week or so ago, I was driving home from purchasing my new computer, and on the freeway I saw a bad accident. The accident was a rear collision caused by tailgating, and it left the person involved in such bad shape that they needed to be covered in a sheet. I shudder to think of what might have been under that sheet, because the body twitched and convulsed sickeningly. What a heavy price to pay for trying to get someplace a few minutes faster. In my job as a pizza delivery expert, I see a lot of people driving very inconsiderately, from illegal passing to tailgating. I have been blessed to not have been in any accidents while delivering, but have had my share of close calls, because of people that are too impatient to get where they are going. However, as was noted in my introduction speech I have not been unhurt by uncaring and discourteous drivers and have been hit twice.

Need: Perhaps my own personal experience is not enough to make you believe there is a problem. According to Laws.com, in 2010 there were 32,146 fatal accidents across America. Furthermore, nearly 27 percent of drivers have been in some kind of accident in the past 5 years. It is important to remember that a non-fatal car accident can still ruin lives. It can do it by driving insurance premiums sky high and making cars non-drivable. Even worse than that, it can leave you permanently disabled and unable to live the same way every again. Driving inconsiderably is like gambling with your future, and the stakes are high.

Satisfaction: Decreasing your chances of being involved in a crash is quite simple; it just involves a few simple steps. A big number 1 is to drive the speed limit: Maria Scinto, a professional writer for Ehow.com says that speed is a factor in 30-40% of fatal car accidents. If you have to speed to get where you are going on time, you...