This paper offers an example, based upon a New York Times editorial, of how to construct a persuasive memo on the subject of a 'pet peeve.' The original New York Times editorial dealt with the problem of people grooming themselves in public locations (such as on the subway). The paper contains a draft of such a document on the subject of talking on a cell phone while driving.
Complaint Box
Recently, I was riding behind a car in a 40 mph zone. The Toyota Corolla in front of me was going 25 mph. A line of angry motorists were following behind us. The slow car was bobbing and swaying, not keeping a clear, linear path forward. When the road finally opened up into two lanes, I was able to pass the car. Instead of a frail and elderly person in the driver's seat, which my slightly prejudiced mind's eye had envisioned, there was a young man -- yakking away on his cellphone, oblivious to the world around him.
People who drive while talking on a cellphone insist they are great drivers. Other people might have problems with distractions, but they do not, they say. However, all of the anecdotal evidence to which I have been exposed indicates the contrary. I have seen people run red lights -- or sit in front of green lights -- while on their cellphones. People drive abnormally fast because they are discussing an emotional topic, or abnormally slow because they are absorbed in a conversation. While many, including myself, assume the worst about the age of a driver when we see a slow-moving vehicle, nothing makes a healthy twenty-year-old in full possession of his faculties drive more like a ninety-five-year-old man than a conversation with his girlfriend on a cellphone.
People are extremely poor judges of how well they drive when distracted. They insist that they can drive just fine when they are eating/listening to the radio/texting/talking on their cellphone -- just like people who have drunk a few beers think they are "okay" to drive. That is why it is necessary to have legislation to ban people from talking on their cellphones while driving.
It is true that this will take a profound cultural shift, given that for so many people, talking on a cellphone when driving is as natural as breathing or listening to the radio. However, many years ago it was said that people would not agree to wear seatbelts while driving. This has changed, based upon the laws passed in various states and also because of social pressures from public education campaigns. The same effort must be directed to campaigns preventing people from talking (or worse, texting) while driving.
Distracted driving can be deadly as well as annoying. Whenever a person does not have their eyes focused upon the road, the chance is increased that they or someone nearby may get into an accident. Is any conversation worth the life of someone you love -- or your own life? How much effort does it take to simply pull over to the side of the road? All of these thoughts run through my head when I see someone talking on their cellphone and driving. And I know, if I were to speak with them outside of their car, they would insist that no one can tell when they are on their cellphone and are driving at the same time.
Ethics of the memo
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