A Persuasive Speech: Ban Cellphone Use While Driving in America

This speech addresses the critical issue of cellphone use while driving in the United States, highlighting the dangers and advocating for a nationwide ban. The speaker begins by establishing the prevalence of cellphones and their impact on drivers' concentration. The speech emphasizes the risks associated with distracted driving, including the loss of a friend due to a road accident. The author presents arguments for a ban, addressing the common reasons people use cellphones while driving, such as boredom and business needs, while emphasizing that these are avoidable. The speech underscores the potential benefits of a ban, including severe punishments for lawbreakers, increased sense of responsibility, and enhanced safety for motorists, pedestrians, and drivers. The author also counters arguments against a ban by pointing out that many accidents are caused by cellphone use and that hands-free devices do not eliminate the risk of distraction. The speech concludes by urging listeners to consider the dangers of cellphone use while driving and to support the ban.

Running head: THE USE OF CELLPHONES WHILE DRIVING 1
The Use of Cellphones While Driving
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Speech
Who does not know what a cell phone is? Cellphones came into the knowledge of
Americans in the mid-1980s (Tison, Chaudhary and Cosgrove, 2011). Since then the cellphone
has experienced dramatic growth both in number and advancement in its technology. Cellphones
are very useful in various aspects in the day to day activities of human beings especially those on
the move including those who are driving. A lot of issues have arisen concerning the use of
cellphones while operating motor vehicles. These concerns are what we are going to discuss
today. In addition, this talk will major on why there should be a ban on using cellphones while
driving in our beloved United States of America. Each one of us has come across a driver who
texts or takes a call while driving for few seconds. Any undertaking on the cellphone while
driving, makes an individual deviate concentration on the road (Shinar, 2017). As much as the
magnitude of the risk of using a cellphone while driving has not be quantified, there is a calling
on the part of policymakers to play their role of enacting a law that standardizes regulation on the
ban of the use of a cellphone while driving.
How many of you here have ever used cellphones while driving? It is very dangerous my
friends. Six months ago, I lost a dear friend through a road accident. Such scenes are hard to
imagine, let alone to watch. Despite most drivers being warned through a series of
advertisements on billboards, it is alarming that drivers still use their cellphones while driving.
As much as sending a text is threatening, making a call while driving is extremely incompatible
with driving.
The issue of using a cellphone while driving has been the elephant in the room for a
significant period of time. There are two types of people who have differing opinions thus
making a discomfiture to have a countrywide ban on the use of cellphones while driving. On one

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side, we have the driver who does not support the ban, while on the other hand, the government
which believes that legislation should be in place to prevent people from using their cellphones
while driving. Can you picture one of your family members traveling in fear because the driver
is using a cell phone? I believe no one would like to picture such an ordeal. This alone puts us in
a position to act and push for enactment of a law that bans the use of a cellphone while driving
nationwide.
We are going to discuss why people use cellphones while driving. Boredom is one of the
reasons. Driving is a boring endeavor especially when one is driving a long distance without the
company of another person, that’s why they use cell phones to communicate to reduce
loneliness. At times one may get lost and use cell phones to ask for directions from friends.
Business people find it hard to miss calls from their clients. This coerces them to make calls and
reply to texts while driving to keep the business going. With this and many other avoidable
reasons, make people find it difficult not to see their phones while driving. However, one should
be aware that the United States has ample parking space where one can park and use the
cellphone.
Nationwide ban on the use of cellphones while driving can bring a lot of advantages. The
courts can use this opportunity to make severe punishment when an individual has broken the
law by using cellphones while driving. Severe punishment such as revocation of the driving
license can make fear of breaking the law. From this, a lot of lives will be saved. Nationwide ban
on the use of cellphones while driving will also help to create a sense of responsibility to all
Americans. Case in point, when there was a nationwide ban on driving under intoxication, it was
seen that a lot of non-governmental organization came into existence in a bid to change people.
Those organization aimed at rehabilitating people who have problems with excessive alcohol

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driving. In this regard, it is predicted that organization would come up with the aim of educating
and training people to avoid using cell phones while driving. This will be important especially to
the young drivers who have a very high affinity for using their cell phones even while driving.
Safety of the people is the most significant advantage of banning the use of cellphones
while driving nationwide. Safety of all people include the motorists, pedestrians and even the
drivers themselves. For a country to succeed, safety needs to be created so as to create an
environment in which people can carry out their activities with minimum disruptions. Since the
rule of law is respected, many people will have it difficult to use their cellphones while driving
once the ban has been effected and taken place. With many of Americans registering for a
license to drive each day, it is important that the ban on the use of cellphones while driving is
expedited.
The next time you feel irresistible urge for using your cellphones while driving you
should remember a couple of things. It is probably illegal. As at now, there are only ten states in
the united states that have it illegal to use cellphones while driving (Lee, 2015). For this reason,
one should not be caught at loggerheads with the law during one’s travel due to ignorance. As it
has been established that many accidents caused by automobiles are as a result of using
cellphones while driving, many states and municipalities are enacting laws that make the use of
cellphones while driving illegal. Research has proven that using cellphones while driving makes
the concentration of the driver to dwindle regardless of whether the cell phone is handheld or not
(Simons-Morton, McLeroy & Wendel, 2012).
I am not going to shy away from saying something that you don’t want to hear. Using
cellphones while driving whether in taking calls or texting will never be safe. Even though
automatic cars are in the market, we are still the same human beings who get distracted easily

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(Sturnquist, 2006). You should put in mind that the Bluetooth communication device will not
work. Do you know the reason? It is because you will still be multitasking. Driving an
automobile is a very dangerous undertaking. It is the mist cause of death for human beings.
However, since people do it very often, they have forgotten about the dangers hence do not take
it very seriously. To be on the safe side, it is important to have a nationwide ban on the use of a
cellphone while driving. Thank you all.

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References
Lee, A. (2017). Essential Safety Policies (p. 164). Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
Shinar, D. (2017). Traffic Safety and Human Behavior (p. 735). Emerald Group Publishing.
Simons-Morton, B., McLeroy, K., & Wendel, M. (2012). Behavior theory in health promotion
practice and research (p. 198). Sudbury, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sturnquist, D. (2006). Mobile Phones and Driving (p. 31). Nova Publishers.
Tison, J., Chaudhary, N., & Cosgrove, L. (2011). National phone survey on distracted driving
attitudes and behaviors (No. HS-811 555).