Group Brief

Thesis:
There are many problems and benefits with using cell phones while driving and because there are both good parts and bad parts to cell phone use it is not smart to outlaw them completely.

Reasons:
1. Cell phones distract the driver from completely focusing on the road and the problems that are in front of him.
2. Texting on cell phones while driving increases the risk of getting into an accident while driving a car.
3. The government has a duty to “protect” its citizens if possible.

Topic 1:
Reason: Although cell phones have an important place in today’s society, it is necessary to place certain restrictions on their use while driving in order to ensure a safer society for everyone.

Evidence:
1. Cell phones provide an excellent means of communicating in emergency situations.
2. It is the conversation, not the cell phones themselves, that increases the risk of getting in a wreck.
3. Other items such as radios, passengers, and spilling drinks cause the same distractions and dangers but are outlawed.

Topic 2:
Reason: While cell phones increase the risk of an accident while driving, texting, which uses the cell phone to send “email-like” messages, is the main abuse of the cell phone. Because texting while driving pulls the attention of the driver off of the road, the danger of using cell phones while driving becomes quite real, and in desperate need of stricter regulation.

Evidence:
1. The majority of cell phone related accidents are caused by people who say they were texting right before the accident.
2. While cell phones increase the risk of an accident significantly, the use of texting while driving increases it even more.

Topic 3:
Reason: The government has an obligation to protect its citizens from both foreign and domestic evils that harm its citizens and cell phone usage is one of these issues; however, it would be quite difficult to enforce any law that would restrict cell phone usage.

Evidence:
1. The laws passed in New York and California do not permit cell phones to be the main cause for a cop to pull a person over; instead, the offense would mainly being an extra fee added on top of the ticket.

Appeal to Audience:
We will gain the trust of the audience by taking a direct approach to confronting the issues that surround the dangers caused by using cell phones while driving. We will not attack those who currently use cell phones while driving because they may or may not realize the true problems that cell phones cause. We will also rely on the facts and statistics that our sources will provide to create a clear and accurate presentation of the problem.

Audience:
Our audience will be to all drivers which by default includes educated members of society, interest groups, and lawmakers. We will target these groups of people because they are the everyday drivers who experience both ends of cell phone usage while driving and because they are the ones who are most likely to do something about it.