Choose one of the following questions to answer for the argument essay in this module.
Does our state do enough to prevent distracted driving?
or
Can a Public Service Announcement (PSA) help reduce the number of distracted driving incidents?
PART ONE: LESSON 07.02
1. Write the claim you will present in your argument essay.
2. Write the counterclaim that you will refute in your argument essay.
PART ONE: LESSON 07.02
Can a Public Service Announcement (PSA) help reduce the number of distracted driving incidents?
Write the claim you will present in your argument essay.
Traffic accidents have become a huge cause for concern. In 2019 due to distracted driving 3,100 people lost their lives and almost 400,000 suffered grave injuries (Galushin et al. 2018, p.14). It was also noticed that most of the time the people that became victims of such incidents were actually walking or more specifically not in a vehicle. Moreover, most of the victims were following all of the road safety protocols. PSAs help in generating awareness about these dire consequences. PSAs help prevent traffic accidents and mishaps as they increase awareness persistent in people about various issues. The PSA makes the drivers on the road, notice the dangers of being reckless. The warnings are there to make them realize that they are not the only ones solely making use of the roads and there are others also who are involved in this journey that they are taking on this road. To safeguard the people that are walking on the road who all have their own lives and families, the drivers need to act carefully. Oftentimes drivers especially those in the young age group are confused about the actions that they should avoid while driving on the road. The PSA informs them about the actions that they should avoid. These actions usually involve doing things that cause any kind of distractions or disorientation on the road, such as listening to music or talking to others in the car or on the phone. PSAs also aid in informing drivers of how they should operate in case an accident happens. After the accident happens the importance of First Aid is emphasised in the PSAs. In a way, it helps in reducing the intensity of effects incurred after the accident.
Write the counterclaim that you will refute in your argument essay.
Claims have been made by individuals who have stated that texting and talking do not cause any distraction to experienced drivers. They believe that if a person has been driving for many years, then they have developed enough sixth sense to avoid any sort of mishap while doing things that generally cause distraction. This is a false claim as there was no noticeable distinction between the number of experienced and amateur drivers causing traffic mishaps (Jung & Jae, 2018, p.700). Being experienced does not mean heightened senses and the ability to perceive more in their surroundings. Moreover, the whole process of driving on the road is not rudimentary and similar for everyone. It is going to be different for everyone and distinct at every opportunity. No two travels can be the same, even if the efforts from the side of drivers are similar, the terrains they encounter might be different. Most importantly the difference would be in the people they encounter. These people could differ in age, gender, and personality. Therefore assuming that just because a driver is experienced and therefore will not make any mistakes even with distraction is bogus. The elements that the driver needs to face with every trip constantly changes, thus accuracy in one situation can be a miscalculation in another. Hence the scope of a mistake or disaster even pertains to experienced drivers. Therefore, they should also be provided with PSAs. PSAs will provide them with the apt information about things and elements they need to avoid during their travels, it will also give them proper instructions on the way they need to behave on the road and avoid distractions to save the lives of people using this public infrastructure.
Reference List
Galushin, S., Ranlöf, L., Bäckström, O., Adolfsson, Y., Grishchenko, D., Kudinov, P., & Marklund, A. (2018). Joint Application of Risk-Oriented Accident Analysis Methodology and PSA Level 2 to Severe Accident Issues in Nordic BWR. Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management PSAM, 14.
Jung, G., & Jae, M. (2018). Quantitative assessment of severe accident management strategies in a nuclear power plant. Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 55(7), 691-702.
