CMST &230 Small Group Communication, Green River College
Group: Marketing
Group Members: Amy Mcintosh, Eric Eason, Mary Pilt, Philip Toyco, Siriyuphon Pinjumpholsaeng, Swee Si
The problem we chose for our Small Wins project was the high automobile accident rates for young adults. We are passionate about this issue because we see too many young adults getting into accidents when they are not paying attention, due to the driver’s negligence, and not knowing a lot of the rules for the road. That causes the driver to be in a minor accident or a major accident that could result in death for the drivers who are on the scene.
Automotive accidents are the leading cause of death in young adults. In 2019, 205,000 young adults aged 15-20 were involved in accidents and 1,603 died (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, n.d.). Many of our group fall into this age group and regularly drive. According to the Washington State Safety Commission (2018), major factors in fatal accidents involving young drivers include impaired driving, no seatbelt, speeding and distractions. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute (n.d.) states that sharing statistics and proven ways to prevent crashes will help keep young drivers safe. By spreading awareness for this problem, we will save lives because we gave young adults knowledge about the dangers of the road and how to mitigate risks. By reminding young drivers about the value of safety on the road, we can lower the rate of young adults being the cause of automotive accidents.
The solution criteria for the Small Wins group project is that it must be the achievement of a goal or task consistent with the definition of a group from our text. That is, the project includes three or more persons interacting who both influence and are influenced by one another (Rothwell, 2019, p. 24). The Small Wins project must include a community service component, with our group determining what is both our “community” and who is being “served.” However, the project must have an actionable activity that is conducted by all the members.
Further, the project must be accomplished within the provided timeline of four weeks, along with required documentation and support as described in the assignment.
Lastly, the project needs to be consistent with Green River College’s guidelines for the safety and security of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We came up with a variety of possible solutions to increase awareness and help reduce the accident rates for the young drivers in our community. One idea was to host a driver education seminar, with possible guest speakers of a police officer or mechanic. Hosting a vehicle inspection to alert drivers of potential safety issues was also presented. Another idea we had was to create posters and informational booklets to post and distribute on campus. A supporting idea was to conduct a survey to collect statistics and anecdotal evidence. We also had some more creative ideas such as creating a TikTok video or demonstrating the effects of alcohol with drunk goggles.
When choosing a solution for driving safety, we decided making posters and booklets and distributing them on campus would be the solution we would implement. Making these two medias is something that all group members could participate in with the best of our ability. Along with that, making and spreading awareness on driving safety along with tips for car problems can allow others to be educated on what to do when there is a certain problem, along with keeping in mind ways to reduce the risk of a fatal accident.
After our brainstorming and decision-making sessions, the next step was for the group to divide the work based on everyone’s preferences and strongpoints. The group was able to create a poster focusing on the causes of accidents and an informational booklet containing automobile safety tips. Another discussion was held on reviewing the completed solutions, finding out how we are going to print, and arranging a time and place for us to get together to hand out booklets and putting up posters for others to see. We all met up at Green River College on Tuesday, May 31, and the project’s implementation was successful. We were able to put up posters in many buildings including the high traffic areas of the student union and library. We also distributed the booklets to students while discussing automobile safety with them.
The Small Wins project was successful in our goal of helping college students in our community to aware of how to be safe on the roads for themselves and others. While distributing the posters and booklets, we received positive feedback from fellow students that we discussed the issue with. As a group, we performed well together. During brainstorming, all members contributed ideas and came up with some unique ideas that would have been missed if we were working individually. Our group worked together and contributed information to promote tips and tools to reduce risks of car accidents for young adults. Even when performing individual tasks, group members supported each other, offering assistance and advice when needed. Thus, we were successful in developing a cooperative climate for our group.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. (n.d.). Basic facts about teen crashes. Teen Driver Source. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from https://teendriversource.org/teen-crash-risks-prevention/car-accident-prevention/basic-facts-about-teen-crashes
Rothwell, J.D. (2019). In mixed company: Communicating in small groups and teams (10th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Washington Traffic Safety Commission. (2018, July). Young drivers in fatal crashes. Retrieved May 28, 2022, from http://wtsc.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2018/08/Young-Drivers.pdf