English III

Persuasive Speech Outline

1. What is your topic? Write one sentence that explains your stance on the issue.

Distracted driving is a growing and dangerous problem

in today’s society that can lead to accidents causing

injury and even death.

2. What is your call to action (what do you want your audience to do about it? (agree

with you, vote a certain way, write to someone in authority, etc.)

Take a pledge to avoid distracted driving to make the

roads safer for everyone

3. List three supporting details that back up your main idea. Is each one a logical or

emotional argument?

I. Teenagers already less experienced drivers (logical) II.

Technology increases the chance for this, but is not

entirely to blame (logical) III. Just one time can

devastate a family/tell a story (emotional)

4. Who is your audience? What is your biggest challenge with this audience?

My audience is my class. The biggest challenge is that

many of them do drive distracted regularly.

OUTLINE

I. Opening statement

A. Greeting: Good morning, fellow classmates. My name is

Sally Student and I am here today to tell you about

something that effects all of our lives today:

distracted driving.

B: Define the issue: Distracted driving

i. driving with any distraction, but there a

few that are common

ii. texting and driving

iii. talking on the phone

iv. other: looking at GPS/maps/directions;

looking in mirror; eating and drinking;

CD player/radio; other people in the car;

scenery

C: What is your stance on this issue? All drivers need to be aware

of distracted driving and take steps to minimize the

risk to themselves and others. “I’m asking you today to

listen to the statistics and the stories and decide for

yourself whether that one phone call, text message, or

glance in the mirror is worth the cost of a human life.”

II. Supporting Detail #1

A: One sentence that introduces this detail: While distracted driving is a

growing problem among drivers of all ages, it can be a bigger problem among

teens, who have less experience on the road.

B. Three pieces of research that explain this detail: 1. Statistics show

that drivers are more likely to have accidents in their

first year of driving than any other time, and over

3800 teens between 15-20 are killed in crashes each

year (number one cause of death for that age group,

while over 300,000 are injured. 2.According to a study

done in the United Kingdom, 17-20 year old males are

almost ten times as likely to be seriously injured or

killed in an accident than more experienced drivers.

3. According to the Centers for Disease Control, a

government agency which records and compiles

statistics about deaths and injuries in America, divers

under the age of 20 have the highest number of

distracted driving accidents

C: Conclusion about this detail: Teen drivers are already more

likely to have an accident than other drivers, as well

as more likely to have an accident from distracted

driving-this could be a deadly combination.

III: Supporting Detail #2

A: One sentence that introduces this detail: Another reason for a recent rise in

the number of distracted driving accidents is our increasing dependence on

gadgets such as cell phones and GPS systems.

B. Three pieces of research that explain this detail: 1. According to

one study, there have been over 16,000 distracted

driving deaths between 2001-2007, while cell phone ownership increased from 33% of Americans in 1999 to

91% by 2008. 2. Between 2001 and 2008, the number of

text messages sent each month increased 110 times

from 1 million per month to 110 million. 3. According

to a CDC study, one in three Americans says they feel

less safe on the road today than they did five years

ago, and distracted driving was the number one

reason people said they felt this way.

C: Conclusion about this detail: As Americans use more and

more portable technology, we are becoming less safe on

the roads than ever before.

IV: Supporting Detail #3

A: One sentence that introduces this detail: As

compelling as the statistics are, however, it’s also

important to know that the price we pay for distracted

driving is devastating to victims’ families. These

victims are more than just numbers, they are real

people.

B. Three sentences that explain this detail: 1. Cady Reynolds was 16

years old when she was killed. She and a friend were

driving home from a movie when another teen, who

was texting at the time, ran a red light and slammed

into Cady’s car. Cady was rushed to the hospital but

died the next day. 2. Alex Brown was 17 when she died.

She crashed her truck while driving to school. She was

texting at the time of the accident. 3. Bronte Wright

was 17 when she got in an accident while texting. She

spent three weeks in a coma and suffers permanent

brain damage as well as other physical issues

stemming from her accident.

C: Conclusion about this detail: Victims of distracted driving are

more than just numbers. They are real people whose

families have to live with the consequences every day

for the rest of their lives.

V: Conclusion

A: Restate your main idea: In a world of portable technology,

distracted driving is a bigger problem than ever, especially

among inexperienced drivers. It devastates the lives of

surviving victims and their families as well as the families of

those who do not survive.

B: Call to action: I urge you all to take a pledge today that

you will not text and drive, and will do everything you can to

prevent the type of accidents that killed Cady Reynolds and

Alex Brown as well as countless others, and leaves still more,

like Bronte Wright, permanently disabled. One pledge at a

time, drivers everywhere can make our roads safer for all

divers.

C: Closing statement: I urge you all to think about what you

have heard today, take the pledge, and stop distracted driving

before someone you know becomes a statistic or a face on a

memory wall. Look at the friends and family around you

today and ask yourself this: Is there any text message worth

their lives?