Topic: Drunk Driving is dangerous, and attention needs to be more focused on dissuading such actions involving alcohol consumption and operating a vehicle at the same time.
Artifact’s Purpose: To draw stronger empathy from civilians towards victims of drunk driving incidents, and persuade these individuals to go out and support change/interventions to prevent further accidents. (Artifact shown below as Artifact A)
Thesis: Using the audience of the popular car brand BMW, whilst also evoking the people’s emotions and minds towards the effects of drunk driving on individuals and as a whole community, we can dissuade people from getting behind the wheel when intoxicated, and save lives in the process.
Outline:
-Draw attention by having the audience visualize the trauma a victim goes through following an easily preventable accident. I will then explain how easily preventable these accidents are. No one plans to get hit by a drunk driver, and hopefully, nobody gets behind a wheel intoxicated with the intent to hurt people. If we create interventions, use public transportation, privatized transportation such as Uber or Lyft, or even using a friend/designated driver. I would use the logo of BMW to show that this issue is severe enough that a multi-billion dollar company is attempting to prevent it. I then need to convince people to not just feel empathy or sadness towards this matter but to become eager to prevent such heinous acts, and to protect themselves and their community from this easily preventable plague. No one is saying that drunk driving is good, but it is simply not spoken enough despite being a leading cause of traffic death in the country (28% to be precise).
The empathy of trauma: comes directly from the image and the words supporting it. People can not be replaced, nor their parts, as a car can. A car can go through immense amounts of damage only to be remodeled, fixed, and replaced in the next few years anyways by a newer model. However, a human being faces trauma, lifelong changes that may prevent them from experiencing life as they want too. Challenges are now present every day that are unnecessarily there due to these accidents. Some people don’t even get to live. Some people die brutally in these crashes, and even worse some don’t. Some lose their children or loved ones within a crash, and they themselves only suffer wounds, having survivors guilt on top of losing someone they care about. No one would ever wish these things to be done upon them, so I use this hook to encourage people that may be a drastic change is needed to prevent such tragedies.
Easily preventable: as previously stated, multiple different routes can be taken. Intervention, AA, and when intoxicated knowing a way to get home such as using public transportation, privatized transportation such as Uber or Lyft, or even using a friend/designated driver.
Big company name: Bring in BMW Fans, users, and those who know the company to realize that this issue is so severe and detrimental than a multi billion dollar company has been time and funding to try to prevent it. This also helps because now a leader does not need to be present in the audience, simply a messenger to relay BMW’s work in trying to make the world a better place and eradicating drunk driving.
Conluding remarks:
I have to remind me the audience that even though we all disown drunk driving and acknowledge it as heinous and preventable, there needs to be more done then mourn the dead and feel sorry for the victims. Even more steps need to be taken then arretsing and charging the drunk driver, because I think there needs to be more done to prevent it.
Over half of drivers dead at the wheel in a car accident are intoxicated by some sort of drug or drink. Thousands of Americans each year are being maimed, lost, and mourned due to these preventable actions. A stand needs to be taken, and with little to no opposition it should be a swift victory. The problem is not advocates for drunk driving, as there is none, but the lack of avid supporters in finally terminating drunk driving, or even the possibility of it. Information needs to be spread, people need to be reached out to while also reaching out, and innocent lives need to be saved.
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