(Sleek, Scott, Alexandra Michel, Anna Mikulak. “Music in the Car Can Cause Teen Drivers to Tune Out.” Association for Psychological Science. 6 May 2015. n. pag. Web. 26 February 2016. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/motr/music-in-the-car-can-cause-teen-drivers-to-tune-out.html)
The textbook definition of a disaster is a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life. In this quote by Elon Musk he says “Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster,” meaning that you have to change your routine if it means that you will experience a disaster. In this instance distracted driving is a disaster because it can show great danger to many people: From the person driving, to the passengers in the vehicle, to the pedestrians walking, to the innocent bystanders walking by and the other cars on the road just because you want to listen or change the station or start a new playlist of songs. ( Resources:
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016. "Disaster Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.)
The amount of people that are affected by distracted driving is unreal. The majority of people that are affected by distracted driving on all levels lie within the 15-20 years old. The drivers of these cars are the most affected but the passengers are also. Both parties are responsible for the amount of distractions in the car. The driver can make sure that they limit their distractions before they start to drive. The passengers can also help limit distractions by not messing with the driver and by doing the tasks, like changing the radio and texting for them, to limit the amount of distractions that the driver has to deal with. Doing these things and limiting distractions can help reduce the amount of people that are affected by the accidents that distracted driving causes.
(Shayne Heffernan. "WQYB Radio Features Distracted Driving and TXTM CEO Steve Berman - Live Trading News | Live Trading News." Live Trading News. N.p., 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
The number of men, women, and the children that live in the US was around 319 million in 2014 (3) In the same year the U.S had 212 million licensed drivers. In 2009 450,000 people were injured and 5,000 people were killed because of distracted driving accidents(2). The executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, Barbara Harsha, says, “ Driving a car is a very complex task”, which is why distracted driving is such a big problem especially with teen drivers. This same organization says that 15 to 25 percent of crashes at all levels are caused by distracted driving. Trying to multitask while driving is dangerous to you and the people around you. These distractions can come from anywhere but one of the leading causes of distracted driving is music and messing with the radio.
The leading cause of death in 15-20 year olds is distracted driving (1). A large number of the statistics that are listed above involve teenagers. This age group makes up a lot of this statistic because distracted driving is not something that many people know about. One of the big distractions that is talked about is texting and driving. What people do not understand is that anything that takes you away from the road is a distraction. The second leading cause of distracted driving is music (4). This is why we want to focus on how the radio distracts a driver. We want to bring awareness of how often distracted driving occurs and how much it affects the driver. The reason we want to do distracted driving as a disaster is because we feel that it is an important topic to be talked about. This PSA can bring the awareness that is needed to help drivers and their passengers understand that there are more than just one distraction in the car. We want to help limit and reduce the amount of distractions that affect the driver. We want to reduce that amount of people who are injured and die because of distractions, especially the radio. (Resources:(1) "Car Radios, Leading Cause of Distracted Driving Accidents." Maggiano DiGirolamo Lizzi P.C. N.p., 17 June 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. (2) "Distracted Driving: Stay Focused When on the Road." Distracted Driving: Stay Focused When on the Road. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. (3) Yu, Rose. "China Soon to Have Almost as Many Drivers as U.S. Has People."China Real Time Report RSS. Wallstreet Journal, 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. (4)Rogers, Mike. "Top Ten Driving Distractions Most Likely To Kill You."DriveSafelynet. N.p., 11 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
("Distraction and Teen Crashes: Even Worse than We Thought | AAA NewsRoom." AAA NewsRoom. AAA, 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
The plan for approaching the disaster is to do a lot of research on how listening to the radio can distract a person while driving. By obtaining this background knowledge, it will help towards gaining credibility on the topic which will make the PSA more effective. As mentioned in the purpose of the PSA, distracted driving is a main factor that leads to serious injuries and death in car accidents. We will also approach the disaster by searching for digital media to support the purpose of the PSA. The overall message that we will convey is that deciding what song you want to listen to and focusing on the radio is not as important as living to see another day. According to the Brain Injury Society (2013), “It’s estimated that 9 people die every day as a result of distracted driving, which can include anything from changing the song on the radio to talking to a passenger, or placing a call or text.” People don’t realize the chance they take when they lose focus and turn their head away from the road for just a second; That one second can mean the difference between life and death.
(Masters, Jacob. “Music and Your Brain: A Deadly Lullaby of Distracted Driving.” Brain Injury Society. 17 Nov. 2013. n. pag. Web. 26 February 2016.http://www.bisociety.org/music-brain-deadly-lullaby-distracted-driving/)
The preferred audience of the PSA is drivers and passengers because even though a passenger isn’t in control of the car, they can still enforce safer driving skills by offering to change the radio for the driver and making sure that the person behind the wheel doesn’t lose focus and pay too much attention to the radio and the music instead of actually driving. A driver, in the state of Kentucky, can be anyone from the age of sixteen and up, so the audience will be for teenagers and adults. Although, it is more common for teenagers to get caught up into the music and lose focus than it is for adults to do so.
(Nitti, Dana. “Exercise While Sitting.” Body in Balance. 12 May 2015. n. pag. Web. 26 February 2016. http://blog.bodyinbalancebydana.com/)
The PSA will be made from a concerned perspective because listening to the radio isn’t a common cause of car accidents that people often hear on the news. It is seldom described as an issue for drivers and it’s an issue that needs to be approached. As college students, the group will also make sure to inform the audience that we are also guilty of getting distracted while driving and it’s nothing to be ashamed of, however, it is a serious disaster that can easily be resolved by participating in safer driving techniques. The issue of listening to the radio while driving is a disaster that almost all drivers can relate to and by informing drivers of all ages, the statistics of fatalities and injuries due to car accidents will be greatly decreased.
(DriveitHOMEmedia. "Distracted Driving - Water Bottles and the Radio."YouTube. YouTube, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
The PSA will reach the audience by introducing the disaster, relating it to everyday life, providing the facts and statistics, and then providing details on how to avoid it. The disaster of being a distracted driver due to the effects of the radio expands way beyond just turning the knobs on the radio. According to DMV.org (2016), there are three types of distracted driving: “Manual, Visual, and Cognitive.” Listening to music applies to all three types because focusing on the radio causes a driver to not hear their surroundings and lose focus of the road because they are too busy switching the song or changing the volume. The PSA will help the audience understand that it’s okay to listen to the radio in car, only when drivers take safety precautions to avoid a disaster in the long run. (Resources:“Three Types of Driving Distractions.” DMV.org. 16 Feb. 2016. n. pag. Web. 26 February 2016.http://www.dmv.org/distracted-driving/three-types-of-distractions.php)
(“Three Types of Driving Distractions.” DMV.org. 16 Feb. 2016. n. pag. Web. 26 February 2016.http://www.dmv.org/distracted-driving/three-types-of-distractions.php)
(Brown, Ryan. "Distracted Driving Archives - Blue Ridge Wireless." Blue Ridge Wireless. N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
The overall plan for approaching the disaster is that we will address the topic by starting out with a video of a person experiencing distracted driving because they are focusing all of their attention on the radio. The video will be original footage filmed by the members of the group and it will grab the audience's attention. The PSA will then transition into facts and statistics that will enforce the severity of the disaster and how it is a serious problem that a lot of people are oblivious to. A member of the group will be filmed stating the facts and details about the disaster. Next, the video will include interviews with random drivers that will include a member of the group asking the drivers if they enjoy listening to the radio while in the car, do they feel as if they drive safely while doing so, and do they take any safety precautions, such as turning the music on before they drive, that make listening to the radio while driving less of a hazard? The video will conclude with a summary of how to become a safer driver while listening to the radio by providing safety tips, such as using buttons on the steering wheel so that you don’t have to turn your attention away from the road, making sure that the music isn’t too loud so that it doesn’t affect you from hearing another vehicle “beeping” at you, and making sure to get the radio set to the station you like before driving so that you don’t have to worry about taking your attention away from driving.
(Bobeck, Buddy, and Twenty One Pilots. "Twenty One Pilots Car Radio Lyrics." YouTube. YouTube, 25 July 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
10% of drivers of all ages under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest percentage of drivers who were distracted. Drivers in their 20s make up 27 percent of the distracted drivers in crashes that resulted in deaths in the country. At any point in time throughout America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010. That being said, our audience could literally be anyone of driving age. We would like to focus on those people primarily, but also the people that may be their passengers.
(TeensDriveSmart. "Techincally Almost Legal - Tosh Chambers - 2013 Teens Drive Smart Finalist - Bridgestone." YouTube. YouTube, 10 July 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
("Distracted Driving - Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles." Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.)
