My target audiences are students - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Audience-subject relationship I think my audiences probably know that texting is distracting, but they think they can handle it anyway. They do not know how distracting texting might be and how it can impair their ability to think and act while driving. I expect my audience to be open to learning more about the effects of texting, but they must be persuaded through logic and emotions to improve their awareness about the harms of this practice so that they can change their texting-while-driving mindset and behaviors. Audience-writer relationship I want to build a strong relationship with my audience because I am part of them and I want them to trust me. They can trust me if they see that I approach the subject with balanced rationality and emotionality. I want to be seen as a credible source of information that they can trust because I truly care for their welfare. I want to come across as a communicator of expert and real-life opinions and insights on this matter. Text and Drive at Your Own Risk: The Perils of Texting while Driving Vehicular accidents are the leading cause of death among young drivers. Drivers with ages of 15 to 20 years old compose only 6% of all drivers in the United States, but they are involved in 19% of all crashes (West et al., 2011, p.37). The youth nowadays are highly proficient in multitasking, including texting while doing other activities, and many think that they can easily text and drive (Hosansky, 2012, p.405). Those who already text and drive and have not yet experienced any accidents increase their belief that they can text and drive without serious difficulty. This paper synthesizes the opinions and findings of different stakeholders, specifically victims and their families, citizens, government agencies, telecommunication service providers, researchers, and the media. Stakeholders agreed on the negative effects of texting while driving because of the prevalence of primary and secondary sources that provide evidence that support the latter, but they disagreed on the effectiveness and usefulness of bans on this practice because of differences in arguments about cause and effect and differences in the importance placed on values and interests. Stakeholders agreed that texting while driving directly affects the welfare of drivers, especially the youth, because they all value human life and confirm that driving impacts driving abilities. They have similarities in their values, where human life is more important than individual freedoms. Agency Group 06 (2012) focused on the view of the government on how vehicular accidents can be reduced. It interviewed government officials, all of which value life and have responsibilities in ensuring public safety and quality life. Agency Group 06 (2012) reported the active participation of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood in promoting bans against texting while driving. Because of his responsibility for the safety of drivers and commuters, Lahood lobbies for safe driving practices and supports texting-while-driving bans, one of which was applied in Ohio (Agency Group 06, 2012). He emphasizes the importance of human life over the freedom to do anything inside one’s car and calls the attention of young drivers who are mostly affected by the harmful texting-while-dri ...Download file to see next pagesRead More