Persuasive Example Outline Elderly Driving PDF

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speech outlines professors name at orange coast college = Courtney, Anderson...

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Problem-Solution Speech on Elderly Drivers Preparation Outline Specific Proposition Statement: Significant actions need to be implemented to increase the safety of our elderly drivers. Thesis Statement: In order to address this topic we will examine first, what exactly the problem is, second, what has caused the problem/its effects, and finally, what we can do to solve the problem. Introduction: Attention step: Does anyone know who Russell Weller is? HE is an 86 year old man who ran down 10 people and injured another 45 in a Santa Monica farmers marketing June of 2003. When questioned by police about the incident Weller replied that he had mistaken the gas pedal for the brake. Clarification step: Incidents such as this occur more often than anyone thinks and have sparked a large debate about elderly driving. According to the American Medical Association “By the year 2030, the number of older Americans is expected to double to 70 million. An increasing portion of this population will be licensed to drive, and these license holders will drive increasingly higher mileage. If we fail to adequately address the safety needs of older drivers, the number of traffic fatalities in this population could triple in upcoming years.” (1.1) Preview: Today, I will be discussing the growing number of elderly drivers, the harmful nature of elderly drivers, why we are failing to solve this problem with elderly drivers, and finally how we can solve the problem of elderly drivers. Body: I. A rapidly increasing elderly population with lack luster driving renewal policies is a serious problem. a. “Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death (65 and older).” i. According to smartmotorist.com a study was done by the NHSTA in 1997 stating that “Older people made up 9 percent of the population but accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 17 percent pedestrian fatalities.” (9:1). ii. According to an article written by Neal Pierce with the Washington Post “Fatalities among drivers aged 70 or older jumped 27 percent from 1991 to 2001.” (10:1) iii. According to the AMA “Per mile driven, the fatality rate for drivers 85 years and older is nine times higher than the rate for drivers 25 to 69 years old.” (2:1) iv. According to an article written by the AARP “By 2030, nearly every fifth person in the United States will be 65 and over.” (8:1)

Transition: Traffic fatalities and pedestrian fatalities are not only harmful to the elderly but to our society as a whole. (EFFECTS) b. Elderly drivers tend to have higher risk in traffic fatalities. i. Russell Weller killed 10, injured 45 ii. According to an article from MSNBC WICHITA, Kansas “A Maize police officer remains in critical condition after a head on crash with an 88 year old driver traveling the wrong way on K-96.” Woman died head on. (7:1) Transition: Incidents such as Russell Weller’s or the 88 year old woman from Kansas could have been avoided. Here are some reasons why these incidents occurred. (CAUSES) c. We are failing to solve this problem for 3 reasons. i. Lack of laws for elderly driver’s renewal a. “There are relatively few states that have retesting requirements for license renewal that are aimed strictly at older age groups. Only two states, Illinois and New Hampshire require a road test (at age 75). Three states require only drivers who have reached a certain age to have a vision test before license renewal. The most common types of age based conditions involve states that either prohibit mail renewal by elderly drivers (five states) or make older drivers renew their licenses sat a more frequent intervals than other drivers (11 states).” (6:1) ii. Senior advocacy groups oppose regulations a. “Senior advocacy groups have pushed state lawmakers to defeat age-based driving bills in both Florida and Texas.” (4:1) iii. Elderly driver’s reluctance to turn in licenses Transition: It’s evident that elderly driving has become a major societal issue that demands action to ensure the safety of all. Unfortunately there are still some who oppose stricter regulations. Let’s look at a few ways to make a difference. II. We can improve the safety of everyone on and off the road. a. First, we can support legislation i. Stricter testing ii. Require physicians to report iii. “Support Formula Grant programs for the elderly” (8:3) iv. Public transportation b. Second, we need to be more involved in our elderly loved ones lives i. Be aware of state ii. Communicate

iii. Know when to take keys away (3:1) iv. Improve vehicle safety standards Conclusion: Review: Today we have discussed the rapid growth in our elderly population, statistics on fatalities among our elderly involved in accidents, the affects of having elderly drivers behind the wheel, why we are failing to solve this problem presently and finally how we can solve this problem as a society and personally. Conclude: It is very important to take action in this matter to insure the safety of our loved ones presently and in the future. Bibliography Can be found on p. 382 of Text Voices of Change....