Final Paper Assignment In the passage, “Driving while stupid”, Dave Berry makes the argument that Miami drivers are the worst drivers in the world. He talks about these radical drivers from all around the world; from drivers that are always passing each other, never looking at the road and doing something else, people who drive with their headlights off all the time, to drivers that think that the can just push through all of the traffic in their way. Dave Berry uses very unconventional ways to make his argument, such as humor and hyperboles. One of the unconventional styles of argument he uses surprisingly is humor. When Dave Berry says, ‘drivers in your city are all homicidal morons” he is trying to grab the reader’s attention by letting …show more content…
He talks about how when we were in Italy that the only law was that “no driver may ever be behind any other driver” he says this jokingly not thinking that anyone would take him seriously. But they may drive like that because of how their culture is or how that is just how they drive in their country but, he is trying to show us as the reader that he has seen a lot of bad driving in his time. Because of him humorous ways in the passage it grabs our attention and allures us to just keep reading and see what he must say about Miami drivers and to see just how they are. Although, he makes a good argument he uses his personal experiences and puts a little humorous twist on them; So, he doesn’t have any hard facts on drivers around the world and especially the ones in Miami. Like the one he got to expierence first hand by the Miami driver passing and him getting a good look at what the heck the driver was doing. Come to find out the driver “was watching it on a video screen that had been installed where the visor …show more content…
Like when he is talking about his last time in Miami and how a convertible was overtaking him at 600 miles per hour. There is no way that the convertible was going 600 miles per hour, he was just over execrating it to make it seem bigger of a problem than it was. Also, when he went to china he says, “I have also ridden on a bus in China, plowing through humongous traffic snarls involving trucks, cars, bicycles, ox-drawn carts and pedestrians”. He describes that the bus was just pushing right through the traffic like it wasn’t moving slow at all but, he later says that the bus driver would sometimes physically push pedestrians out of the way and he meant with the bus. There is no way that the bus driver really drove like that it might have seemed like that because maybe the traffic was moving so fast and that pedestrians were getting out of the way and all that but not running them over. Dave Berry uses hyperboles to make thing seem extravagant than they really are to keep the reader entertained and to keep them interested in the passage to get to his main argument of Miami drivers being the worst drivers in the world. He also says that there are plenty of insane driving techniques and that Miami brings all those techniques together for one crazy mess on the roads. So basically, with all the diversity Miami brings to the table it also brings a great diversity in drivers and the
He refers to all the immigration groups in a judgmental way. He complains about the intelligence levels of the Italians, how dirty and deceitful the Jews are, and even the immaculate cleanliness of the Chinamen. Although he does possess quite a bit of bigotry that boarders on the line of prejudice when it comes to African Americans he recognizes that they are suffering from racism and he sympathizes with th...
‘Road Respect’ is an attempt to educate Massachusetts drivers on the dangers of aggressive driving and enforce its decline. The Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau (GHSB), the State Police and over 255 local police departments are participating in the ‘Road Respect’ campaign to make it a success.
Dangers on roadways is an issue that describes the discrepancy between perception and reality of road rage. The media, for some odd reason, tends to make road rage a huge controversial issue. As seen on talk shows from Oprah Winfrey to CNN, they reveal to people that road rage could happen at any time and to always be looking over your shoulder. These talk shows and news programs also put fear into our minds by explaining that most roadragers often use guns to kill or injure their victims. Glassner contradicts the media's speculations by stating that out of approximately 250,000 people killed on roadways between 1990-1997, AAA attributed that one in one thousand was an act of road rage (pg.5).
“Driving While Stupid” is about the author, Dave Barry, traveling around the world and observing the driving habits of foreign bus, taxi, and cab drivers, as well as the odd variety of activities he has seen others take part in behind the wheel of their own car. The article is not long. It’s eleven paragraphs and is composed of 780 words. And in this article, he is trying to make and argument. For a mere 780 words, one might not believe that that there is any point to this piece other than for the purpose of comic relief. Many of those words bring out the yuks in people, but what evidence does Barry present that results in a concrete argument, and what is he even arguing about? This piece could have very well worked as a simple informatory article about some of the dangers of driving while adding a few jokes to the mix to lighten up a seemingly depressing topic. But Barry very cleverly shapes his writing to not only inform, but to argue. He argues that while there are chaotic acts of driving everywhere in the world, there is nowhere that could top the antics of Miami drivers right here in the U.S.A. To better understand the points that Dave is trying to make, his article should be looked at in
A Mark IV Toyota Supra and Chevy Camaro SS pull up at a red light on a lonesome stretch of flat road amongst a dimming blue sky; the drivers nod at one another, rev the engines, and jam the accelerator pedals. When two drivers try to outrace each other on public streets, automobile driving makes a turn into the illegal form of motor racing known as street racing. Several possible causes to this aggressive street driving include a recent release of movies that inspire racing by the desire to fulfill the adrenaline rush raging in young people, the overall convenience of street racing, and most importantly, a way for teenagers to achieve nobility status in a short a time.
Every person who has gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle will be involved in some sort of automobile collision at some point in his or her lifetime. Traffic accidents account for over twenty thousand deaths each year and more than ten times as many injuries. There are a number of factors that contribute to these types of collisions, however, new and evolving laws can account for a large portion of successful preventable measures. In order for laws to be changed or added for the purpose of safer roads and highways, lawmakers have to first look at what factors contribute to such unsafe conditions. The top five causes of automobile accidents that cause injury are distracted drivers, driver fatigue, drunk driving, speeding, and aggressive driving. Laws can be proposed to reduce and even eliminate each of these risks.
The term “distracted driving” may be hard to define, but, simply, it is the act of driving while being engaged in any activity. Stephanie Hanes describes in her article, how texting is a deadly epidemic. The distractions occurring while we drive on the road endangers the lives of drivers and passengers around us. Andrew Lavallee explains in his article “Companies build Services to End Texting and Driving,” how texting is wildly popular these days. David Andreatta points out some activities which drivers are engaged in while on road, in his article “Texting and Driving Can Spell Disaster.”
In Borat’s case, the theory would state that “We need to agree that a red light means stop for it to have meaning and impact. If not, misunderstandings occur” (Woyzbun, 2016). Evidently, Borat fails to understand the semiotics of basic traffic symbols and signals while driving in America because driving in Kazakhstan is not regulated by traffic signs. Instead, people are meant to drive in respect to each other and avoid collisions; drivers regulate themselves. Therefore, Borat applies Kazakhstan’s semiotics of driving to American streets and wreaks havoc by disregarding common traffic
Barry considers himself as one of the “normal” drivers as he refers the other drivers as “testosterone-deranged youths.” He mentions in this part of the story that “So the tiny minority of us Miami drivers who actually qualify as normal find ourselves constantly being trapped behind people drifting along the interstate at the speed of diseased livestock, while at the same time they are being tailgated by the testosterone-deranged youths”(92). Many people could see his point of view from this part as they experience this not only in Miami, but in other parts of America as well. Everyone has had road rage or at least experienced road rage once in their life
Distracted driving something that is known too well, and can been seen on a day to day basis on the road. But what is the underlining cause, and biggest reason for the negative impact of distracted driving. The conversation addresses the issue of DD (distracted driving), convey that adults and teens need to educate themselves about distracted driving. To inform adults and teens, 3 main points will be addressed in this paper, what is counts as distracted driving, what is the culture of entitlement, and lastly address some data.
He creatively conveys this idea by using an example of various people in their unique cars with different bumper stickers to represent their diverse beliefs. By doing so, he paints an image that portrays all of these people in their cars, with their passionate opinions, are normally traveling through traffic, not caring who believes what. This descriptive portrait show the author’s ideal versions of society, where people don’t blow things out of proportion just because they hold different opinions. In the example he adds that, of course, “there will be a selfish jerk who zips up the shoulder and cuts in a the last minute” to represent a “real” problem of America and stating that the individual “is scorned. This crazy driver is meant to highlight that, yes, there will be some real threats in the world, but America will be more apt to dealing with them if Americans put aside their minor differences and focus only on the problems that are a real danger to the country. Stewart’s traffic example contributes to his purpose by displaying every day people that get along just fine, despite what they might believe, thus showing his viewers that different people are able to get along just fine on a daily
Driving while drunk is one of the very dangerous things in the life of a driver. Drivers who work under high Blood Alcohol Concentration also known as (BAC) usually expressed as a percentage of ethanol in the blood consisting of alcohol per volume of blood or alternatively mass of alcohol per mass of blood. These drivers are at a great increase of car risk accidents, vehicular deaths as well as highway risks. Drinking under the Influence commonly known as DUI simply refers to driving a motor vehicle while one has level of alcohol in their blood exceeding the legal limit. This is not limited to alcoholic content but covers other drugs that include but are not limited to prescription drugs. This leads the driver to lack coordination, experience double vision, brief blackouts and have a slurred speech. Driving under the influence causes brain impairment leading to a person feeling that they can manage a situation just like they have always handled it before. This is always as a result of poor reasoning and judgment which leaves one vulnerable to the deadly effects of drunk driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as "the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property"—a traffic and not a criminal offense like road rage. Examples include speeding or driving too fast for conditions, improper lane changing, tailgating and improper passing. Approximately 6,800,000 crashes occur in the United States each year; a substantial number are estimated to be caused by aggressive driving. 1997 statistics compiled by NHTSA and the American Automobile Association show that almost 13,000 people have been injured or killed since 1990 in crashes caused by aggressive driving. According to a NHTSA survey, more than 60 percent of drivers consider unsafe driving by others, including speeding, a major personal threat to themselves and their families. About 30 percent of respondents said they felt their safety was threatened in the last month, while 67 percent felt this threat during the last year. Weaving, tailgating, distracted drivers, and unsafe lane changes were some of the unsafe behaviors identified. Aggressive drivers are more likely to drink and drive or drive unbelted. Aggressive driving can easily escalate into an incident of road rage. Motorists in all 50 states have killed or injured other motorists for seemingly trivial reasons. Motorists should keep their cool in traffic, be patient and courteous to other drivers, and correct unsafe driving habits that are likely to endanger, antagonize or provoke other motorists. More than half of those surveyed by NHTSA admitted to driving aggressively on occasion. Only 14 percent felt it was "extremely dangerous" to drive 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. 62 percent of those who frequently drive in an unsafe and illegal manner said police for traffic reasons had not stopped them in the past year. The majority of those in the NHTSA survey (52 percent) said it was "very important" to do something about speeding. Ninety-eight percent of respondents thought it "important" that something be done to reduce speeding and unsafe driving. Those surveyed ranked the following countermeasures, in order, as most likely to reduce aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors: (1) more police assigned to traffic control, (2) more frequent ticketing of traffic violations, (3) higher fines, and (4) i...
Countries”, written by Bryan Rookey, an Associate Professor at the University of Portland, is quoted “although driving a vehicle while intoxicated has been against the law, social definition of drunk driving has changed” (Rookey 4). The rate at which drunk drivers are pulled over and charged has increased more and more with every year, even with the laws that are in place. There are more and more people on the roads that could be charged with drunk driving. The fact that they could get lucky and not get caught is another
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers” -Dave Barry, comedian. The number of accidents over the last ten years have drastically increased, drivers are paying less attention to the road itself. Many individuals behind the wheel of a car believe that their driving does not affect the road conditions, however it always will. The driving habits of today are catastrophic due to the reasoning that the driving will affect other lives through reckless or distracted driving, and disobeying traffic laws.