RiAus PDplus low level speeding notes - Years 7-9

The science and myths of low

level speeding

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RiAus PD plus: Speeding www.riaus.org.au/PDplus www.mac.sa.gov.au 2

RiAus PDplus Teacher Notes is a new initiative of RiAus that has been designed to assist middle school (Years 7 – 9) teachers engage and involve their students. The notes supplement a PDplus presentation hosted by RiAus on science and myths of low level speeding, which will allow teachers to have access and put questions to scientists about their research and careers.

See the RiAus website for further details and footage.www.riaus.org.au Other riAus PDplus teAcher NOtes Food Security, Synthetic Biology, The Square Kilometre Array and The World Solar Challenge. These PDplus Teacher Notes are available on the RiAus website: http://riaus.org.au/programs/our-projects/riaus-pdplus

The notes offer both variety and flexibility of use for the differentiated classroom. Teachers and students can choose to use all or any of the five sections – although it is recommended to use them in sequence, and all or a few of the activities within each section.

The guide will employ the ‘Five Es’ instructional model designed by Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, an educational research group in Colorado, USA. It has been found to be extremely effective in engaging students in learning science and technology. It follows a constructivist or inquiry based approach to learning, in which students build new ideas on top of the information they have acquired through previous experience. Its components are:

Engage Students are asked to make connections between past and present learning experiences and become fully engaged in the topic to be learned.

Explore Students actively explore the concept or topic being taught. It is an informal process where the students should have fun manipulating ideas or equipment and discovering things about the topic.

Explain This is a more formal phase where the theory behind the concept is taught. Terms are defined and explanations given to models and theories.

Elaborate Students develop a deeper understanding of sections of the topic.

Evaluate Teacher and students evaluate what they have learned in each section.

How To usE THE guidE

inTroducTion To THE guidE

THE ‘FiVE Es’ ModEl

useful websites Motor Accident Commisionhttp://www.mac.sa.gov.au/

The University of Adelaide Centre for Automotive Safety Researchhttp://casr.adelaide.edu.au/

Street smart campaign for seniorshttp://www.raa.com.au/page.aspx?TerID=953

Road safetyhttp://www.raa.com.au/page.aspx?TerID=1224

Transport statisticshttp://www.bitre.gov.au/info.aspx?NodeId=167

Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructurehttp://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/roadsafety

Road crash factshttp://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/roadsafety/road_crash_facts/sa_crashes

Road safety timelinehttp://casr.adelaide.edu.au/dbtw-wpd/Timeline/timelinesearch.htm

About the guide

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created by Sally Parker Editor Heather Catchpoledesigner Fiona MacDonaldEditor-in-chief Wilson da SilvaPublisher Kylie Ahern The RiAus PDplus Teacher Notes publication is produced by COSMOS magazine for the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus).

This resource is made possible thanks to support from:

© 2012 COSMOS Media Pty Ltd, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner or form for commercial purposes or outside of an educational setting. COSMOS, The Science of Everything™ is protected by trademarks in Australia and the USA. This guide was first published on 1 February 2012.


Thescienceofspeeding

EnErgy

Energy is the ability to do work. Any organism or machine that does work needs an energy source. Energy can be measured in units called joules (J). One joule of energy is used to lift a 100 gram mass one metre.

There are many different types of energy. These have been summarised in the table below.

EnErgyTyPE EXPLAnATIOn EXAMPLE

Kinetic Movement Moving car

Gravitational potential Energy that an object has when it is up high.

A skier at the top of a ski slope, a falling object.

Elastic potential The energy an object has when it is stretched.

A stretched rubber band or softness of a piece of sheet metal in a car bonnet.

Chemical potential The energy that is stored in chemicals.

The energy in food or petrol.

Nuclear Energy released from atoms.

The reactions that occur to hydrogen in the Sun.

Sound Energy caused by vibrating objects.

Clapping your hands produces sound energy so do two cars colliding.

Heat Energy caused by the virbration of particles within an object.

An oven releases heat energy so does a car engine.

Light Energy released from very hot objects or chemicals.

Television releases light energy.

Electrical Energy caused by the movement of electrons.

The lights in a house use electrical energy.

Whatdoesdrivingacarsafelyhavetodowithscience?Alot-scientificprinciplesdeterminehowacarwillmoveandreactindifferentsituations,andcanhelpresearchersunderstandhowcrashescanbeavoided.Hereissomeofthesciencebehindroadsafety.

HistoryofroadsafetyHere’s a timeline of driving, road safety laws and our understanding of the physcis behind movement.

1330s Italian inventors design wind-driven vehicles.

1687 Newton publishes his three laws of motion in a book called Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, commonly known as the Principia.

1710s Thomas Newcomen builds an early model of a steam engine.

1760s James Watt builds a pressurised steam engine.

1860s Étienne Lenoir patented the first practical gas engine in Paris.

1890s Henry Ford builds and sells his first cars.

1903 Safety glass is invented by French chemist Edouard Benedictus.

1920s Road safety record keeping begins and the National Safety Council is formed.

1930s&40s The focus on safety grows with more countries and cities introducing drivers’ licenses and traffic lights.

Backgrounder

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Backgrounder

1950s Most countries require drivers to pass a test before getting behind the wheel of a car. Research into developing a crumple zone at the front of the car begins.

1960s Anti lock brakes (to help prevent skidding) and rear head rests (to help prevent whiplash) are introduced into cars. The first crash test dummy ‘Sierra Sam’ is created. In Australia, it becomes compulsory for all new cars to have fitted seatbelts. Helmets become compulsory for motorbike riders.

1970s Breath testing begins in Australia and seatbelts become compulsory for all passengers. Australia introduces the first legislation requiring children to wear restraints when in vehicles.

1980s Air bags are introduced in most car models. The first three speed cameras are used on Australian roads. A campaign begins in Australia to reduce default speed limit to 50 km/h.

1987 Earliest versions of Electronic Stability Control (ESC), a technology utilised in vehicles to detect when the car is skidding. ESC helps the driver correct the movement of the car by applying the brakes on the wheels so the driver has more control during the skid.

1990s 40 km zones near schools in Australia are introduced.

2000s National Road Safety Strategy developed in Australia with the aim of reducing road fatalities by 40%.

2010s Child restraint laws tightened to improve the safety of small children in cars.

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Kinetic energy is the energy of movement. The movement of the pistons in a car engine (converted from the chemical energy of the petrol) is converted into the actual movement of the car. When a car collides with a stationary object the kinetic energy is converted into energy deforming the bonnet and any other area of the car and the object it hits. Heat and sound energy is also released.

If the mass of the vehicle accelerates due to a force acting on it there will be an increase in kinetic energy. The more kinetic energy there is the more that needs to be displaced when the vehicle collides. When the force acting on a vehicle is friction, the kinetic energy of the car is converted to heat energy, and sound energy if the brakes squeal, due to the friction required to slow it down.

When Formula 1 cars crash their external parts are designed to come to pieces and fly off in all directions while the driver remains strapped to the inner frame of the vehicle. The kinetic energy of the flying parts move a great deal of kinetic energy away from the vehicle so that there is less near the car that can harm the driver.

When two cars travelling at 50km/h hit each other head on the damage is the same as a car travelling 50km/h hitting a brick wall. It is easy to imagine the damage would be twice as bad because there is twice as much kinetic energy to convert due to the movement of both vehicles. But the damage is the same because even though there is twice as much kinetic energy, there are two bonnets to absorb it as they crumple.

Elastic energy is energy stored in a spring or piece of elastic. Although dodgem car collisions are somewhat elastic, where the kinetic energy of the moving car is absorbed by the spongy rubber and then converted back to kinetic energy as the dodgem car bounces away, collisions between metallic cars are not elastic. The kinetic energy of the moving car is converted into the energy required to crumple the bonnet or other panels when the car hits something.

There has been a great deal of research into the crumple effect of the bonnet of a vehicle to allow it to absorb as much of the kinetic energy of a car crash as possible so that the energy is not transferred to the passengers where it can cause major injury.

EnErgyOfCArCOLLIsIOns

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A force is a push or a pull on an object and is needed for a change to take place in that object. For example forces are needed to start a car and make it move, and forces are also needed to slow it down.

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There are many different types of forces. These have been summarised in the table below.

TyPEOffOrCE EXPLAnATIOn EXAMPLE

Magnetic A non-contact force between magnetic objects and objects that can be influenced by magnetic objects

Magnets are used in some motors but the ones we are most familiar with are those we use to stick things to the fridge door.

Electrostatic A non-contact force between charged objects Any objects with a negative or positive charge, such as the charge you feel after rubbing your feet on the carpet and then touching someone.

Gravity An non-contact force between every object in the universe. Usually seen on Earth occurring between the massive Earth and objects that are attracted to Earth

The car sitting on the road as it drives is gravity at work. The contact the wheel shares with the ground allow it to move forward and stop. When you have to accelerate going up a hill or brake when coming down a hill it is because of gravity.

Mechanical A contact force where we can see objects pushing and pulling each other.

The thrust that turns the wheels of a car and sends it forward.

Friction A contact force that occurs when objects rub against each other. Friction opposes the direction of motion of an object.

Friction occurs between the tyres and the road and is very important in helping a car to stop. Friction causes heat – just try rubbing your hand together!

Air resistance A contact that involves air particles pushing against a moving object.

Most cars are streamlined to reduce air resistance so that they require less energy to move along at the speed limit. Drag causes the car to slow down due to air resistance.

Lateral forces Are also known as turning forces and occur when an object turns a corner.

As a car and the passengers in it turn the corner they want to stay travelling in a straight line. When the car turns the passengers tend to move in the opposite direction to the turning car.

TyPEsOffOrCEs

Backgrounder

When you start a car’s engine, fuel is mixed with air, fed into the cylinders and ignited. The mixture explodes. Expanding gases push the pistons down, which turns the crankshaft. When you shift the transmission into gear, power is transmitted from the crankshaft to the wheels and the car starts to move. The forces acting upon the car have become unbalanced, and the car begins to accelerate and is thrust forward. If the ground is slippery, such when it is icy, the tyres cannot grip and the ground cannot match the force of the tyres and push it forward as easily.

Friction is a force that has an enormous effect on the motion of everyday objects and is very important to road safety. Friction is the opposing force of two objects rubbing together and produces heat. If the surfaces are rough there is a great deal of friction and if the surfaces are smooth there is very little friction. Without friction cars would have difficulty stopping. Anything that reduces friction, such as a wet slippery road or bald tyres threatens road safety.

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Careers, industry and courses

When notice comes through from the South Australia ambulance service that there’s been a car crash, investigators from the Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) at the University of Adelaide have to act quickly.

Part of their job is to reconstruct the impact scenario in order to better understand and improve road safety, but to do this, it’s critical that the accident site is preserved until they arrive.

“If the vehicles have been moved, or if we have no clear indication of where the vehicles ended up, we may not even proceed with the investigation,” explains Sam Doecke, an investigator and automotive engineer at the CASR.

Once on scene, Doecke and his colleagues liaise with emergency personnel before carefully marking the position of the vehicles and, if fatalities have occurred, any position of bodies.

Next they mark and measure physical evidence such as skid marks, scrapes and gouges in the road surface, and debris. They then take photographs of the scene, speak to witnesses and involved parties if possible, and conduct a detailed engineering survey of the site.

Back in the lab, the team puts all the information into a searchable database, draws a scaled diagram of the crash site and begins the process of piecing the accident together, hoping to identify the contributing factors – and perhaps, determine who was at fault.

“If there are really nice critical speed marks, where a vehicle has lost control and left long, curving skid marks along the road, we can use those to do a fairly basic calculation,” says Doecke.

But for crashes involving multiple vehicles, where they collide and spin out, the researchers rely on 3D computer modelling.

“Technically speaking it’s not reconstruction, because it doesn’t work backwards – it works forwards, so it’s more like

simulating until we get something that matches the physical evidence,” he says. “We’ll estimate the speed, and the impact, then do a run and see how close that is to matching what we know happened.”

This requires knowing as much information about the vehicles as possible, including their make, model and year, in order to determine their exact dimensions and mass.

For Doecke, who began his university career studying mechanical engineering before switching to automotive engineering, working with cars was always in the game plan.

“I always had an interest in vehicles and tinkering with the design,” recalls the 27-year-old, who has had a long-held interest in motor racing, and just recently began venturing out

on the track himself. In his final year of study he took a course

called automotive safety, which was run by some of the researchers at the CASR. “It was the first time I heard of the centre,” he recalls, “and it really caught my interest – it was something I could do on the automotive engineering side of things that could really have a positive impact.”

And at the CASR, the Australian-born researcher has had a chance to make some significant contributions; authoring studies on how the number of casualty crashes on South Australian roads can be reduced by targeting low-level speeders, and simulating pedestrian impacts to gauge injury scenarios.

For Doecke, research into road and automobile safety has heralded an unforeseen appeal. “I never really intended to get into research per se,” he says, “but what’s quite interesting about research is that there are constantly new topics – it’s not repetitive. There’s always a new problem to solve, or a question to answer.” – Myles Gough

Profile: Sam DoeckeCrash scene investigator and automotive engineerCASR, University of Adelaide

“It was something I could do that could really have a positive

impact.”


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Road injuries cause 600,000 deaths in Southeast Asia every year and are currently the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. Rebecca Ivers, director of the Injury Division at The George Institute for Global Health and an associate professor at the University of Sydney, directs a research program that focuses on injury prevention, with a strong emphasis on preventing injuries from road crashes.

She and her research team examine how many people are affected by injury and the resulting disability, the risk factors involved, and how these injuries can be prevented. “Our research measures the size of the problem, and evaluates effectiveness of prevention programs.”

Ivers initially studied optometry at the University of New South Wales and worked in the government’s eye health and trachoma programs in the Northern Territory after graduation.

“I really wanted to do something where I felt like I could make a difference to people’s lives,” she said. “That’s been the thing that’s driven me all along.”

While she was in the Northern Territory, she became interested in public health, especially among Aboriginal communities in remote areas. She returned to university and undertook a master’s in public health at the University of Sydney, which then led to a PhD in injury epidemiology.

She initially focused on studying the falls and fractures resulting from poor vision and identifying the associated risks for older people, before moving on to injuries caused by poor vision and road crashes. Then in 2000 she oversaw DRIVE, a study that assessed the risk factors for over 20,000 novice drivers.

“In that study we found that risky driving is linked to an increased risk of crash, as is self-harm behaviour. We also found that young rural drivers are at far greater risk of single-vehicle crashes, which are more likely to result in serious injury than other crash types,” Ivers said.

Her studies have also focused working with the government to understand and prevent road injuries in the Aboriginal communities.

Statistics indicate that members of these communities are twice as likely to die in a road accident and are 40% more likely to be injured, which can be attributed in part to the bad roads, older cars and less access to emergency services in remote services, according to Ivers.

Some of her other projects are aimed at understanding and preventing injuries in China, India and Vietnam.

In the case of injuries resulting from road accidents, the higher diversity of vehicles – including bicycles and motorbicycles – on the roads in Southeast Asia and the low levels of road rule enforcement contribute to the high

injury toll. “There’s a whole multitude of risk factors,” said Ivers. – Laura Boness

Profile: Rebecca IversDirector of the Injury Division, George Institute for Global Health and associate Professor at the University of Sydney

“We found that young rural drivers are at far greater risk of single-vehicle crashes, which are more likely to result

in serious injury than other crash types.”


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Engage

[Task]Unsafedriving

1.In the table below, circle each of the unsafe driving issue on the images.2.Identify why this is an unsafe driving practice by suggesting a possible dangerous outcome.3.Write a brief sentence to explain to the driver what they must do to drive safely.

Unsafe scenario Why is it unsafe? What is the possible outcome?

Advice to the unsafe driver

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Explore (teacher’s page)

Teacher’sinformationThe aim of the Explore section is for the students to investigate some of the myths an ideas around road safety and ponder their possible impacts on the lives of their friends and family. It is intended that the students make their own discoveries about each station as well as experience inquiry based science as they work around the stations in the room.

The equipment table below lists the equipment and preparation required.

Station MaterialsList

Station one Wearing a seat belt makes no difference if the driver is going at the speed limit when they hit something.

Toy carRampPlasticineStringElastic bandsSmall plastic figurine (or something to represent a figure)Ruler

Station two Small increases in speed do not increase the severity of a crash.

Toy car Ramp Something to crash the car into, such as plasticine that can be put up against a hard surface

Station three The mass of a car does not affect the damage it can do in a collision.

Two toy cars with different massRampPlasticineA wall or something solid to crash in to

Station four Friction and stopping distance Two toy cars

VaselineOilRampSmooth plastic sheetGlad wrap

Station five How safe is your pet? A computer to play the following video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBX_UxuIf_Y&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Station six Glossary of terms

Science dictionary or science text book

Station seven Forces at work

No equipment needed, just the image on the worksheet

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Explore (student activities)

Stationone[Task]Bust the myth: wearing a seat belt makes no difference if the driver is going at the speed limit when they hit something.

1. Use the materials provided by your teacher to conduct a simple investigation to find out if attaching a ‘driver’ to the car with a seatbelt is safer when the car hits a solid object than not attaching the driver.

2. What method did you use to attempt to find out if the seat belt makes a difference during collision?

3. What is your conclusion?

4. If you are unsure if you managed to conduct a fair and reliable experiment in order to answer the question, why do you think this is? What else could you do to test it?

Stationtwo[Task]Bust the myth: do small increases in speed increase the severity of a car crash?

1. Use the materials provided to design and conduct a simple investigation to find out if increases in speed affect the impact of a car crashing into a wall.

2. What method did you use to attempt to try to find the effect of small increases in speed on the severity of a car crash?



Stationthree[Task]Bust the myth: does the mass of a car affect the damage it can do in a collision?

1. Use the materials provided to design and conduct a simple investigation to find out if the mass of a car affects the damage it can cause another object after a collision.

2. What method did you use to attempt to try to find out the effect of the mass of a car during a collision?



Stationfour[Task]Do you think of your pet when you take it for a trip in the car?

1. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBX_UxuIf_Y&feature=endscreen&NR=1

2. What are the dangers to your pet in a car if they are not wearing a seatbelt-type restraint?

3. What are the dangers to the driver and passengers if a pet is not wearing a seatbelt type restraint?

4. What other ways can pets be restrained in a car?


Stationfive[Task]What effect do slippery surfaces have on stopping distance?

1. Use the materials provided to design and conduct a simple investigation to find out if slippery tyres or a slippery road affects stopping distance.

2. What method did you use to attempt to try to find out if slippery surfaces affect stopping distance?



Stationsix[Task]Predict what each of these terms mean and then use a science dictionary or your text book to write the scientific definition.

WorD PreDIcTeDMeaNING ScIeNTIFIcMeaNING

Speed

Velocity

Mass

Momentum

Energy

Kinetic energy

Force

Acceleration

Motion

Collision



Stationseven[Task]Which forces are at work when a car is moving along the road?

1. Label the image above to show the forces that are at work when a car drives down the street. Include the following forces in action on a moving car: friction, air resistance, push, drag, thrust and gravity.

2. Use arrows to show the direction of the action of the force.

Summary1. Which station was your favourite? Why?

2. At which station did you learn the most? What did you learn?

3. What questions do you have about speed and car collisions after completing these activities?

Explore (student activities)is

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Explain (introduction)

Teacher’sinformationIn this section, we explain the science of road safety by getting students to read Cosmos articles and other information about road safety issues. This section suggests discussion topics and activities linked to those articles. Before reading any of the articles there is a brainstorm activity to get students thinking about some of the unsafe behaviours that may lead to road accidents.

Each article will have its own literacy activities, which includes:

• Glossary• Comprehension and summary• Questioning toolkit

The articles include:

Articleone–Roadcrashstatistics

This article introduces the official statistics about Australia’s road crashes. It is a good place to start when thinking about why we can never give up on trying to improve safety on the roads. The information is taken from the National Road Safety Council website http://www.nrsc.gov.au/road_crash_statistics/index.aspx.

Articletwo–Thephysicsofroadsafety

This article discusses the interesting physics of road crashes and shows how science can debunk many of the myths we have about road safety. Examples include the myth that going a few km/h over the speed limit has no real safety risk.

Articlethree–Truestory:it’samiraclemybestfriendandIsurvivedthecarcrash

A driver’s account of a lucky escape from a car accident.

Articlefour–MotorAccidentCommission(MAC)report

This article mentions some of the research and strategies employed by the Motor Accident Commission of South Australia to communicate the importance of safety on our roads.

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Explain (article one)

Brainstorming[Task] Model the worst driver ever

Around the figure below, draw or write some of the behaviours or actions of someone who is not a responsible driver.

Consider the following:• What they might have been doing just before they started driving that would compromise how well they drove• The kinds of activities they might try to do, or be forced to do while driving that would reduce their focus and ability to drive well• Their general attitude to driving and other drivers on the road with them• Any unsafe conditions of their vehicle or their environment they are not responding to

When you have completed your ‘worst driver ever’ brainstorm, share your ideas with the rest of the class.

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Data and graph from: http://www.nrsc.gov.au/road_crash_statistics/index.aspx


Road crash statisticsRoad crashes result in about 1,500 fatalities and 30,000 hospital admissions each year. The annual cost to the national economy is estimated to be $27 billion.

This graph shows the total number of road deaths in Australia from 2000 to 2010.

months.

Australian road deaths for 12 months over the last 10 years



Glossary[Task]Use the table to define any science or technical words that are related to this article.

Word Definition

Hospital admission

Fatality

summarising[Task] In your exercise book, complete the following questions.

1. How many people die on Australian roads each year?

2. What is the general trend for road fatalities from 2000 to 2010?

3. What is the estimated cost of road accidents to the Australian economy?

4. Draw a line of best fit on graph 1 over the top of the line graph provided using your ruler. Extend this line to predict the number of road deaths in 2015.



Questioningtoolkit[Task] Below are a series of discussion questions in the form of a questioning toolkit. Choose some or all of the questions, or ask some of your own.

Write your ideas and opinions relating to each of the different types of questions.Inspired by Jamie McKenzie’s Questioning Toolkit - McKenzie, Jamie (2000) Beyond Technology, FNO Press, Bellingham, Washington, USA (www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html).

Typeofquestion Yourideasandopinions

essentialquestionsThese are the most important and central questions. They probe the deepest issues that confront us and can be difficult to answer.

Question:Why do road accidents occur? Why do you think the number of road fatalities have fallen over the last 40 years even though there are more drivers and cars on the road?

subsidiaryquestionsThese questions help us to manage our information by finding the most relevant details.

Questions:Most road fatalities occur during the day, why do you think this happens and there aren’t more accidents at night? Why are there still fatalities when cars travelling at less than 100km/h? Does driving even a little over the speed limit still increase the level of danger if there is an accident?

hypotheticalquestionsQuestions designed to explore the possibilities, the ‘what ifs’? They are useful when we want to test our hunches.

Questions:Do you think that if less people drove and more people rode their bikes or walked to where they had to be each day that the number of road fatalities would decrease? If the roads were just as busy at night as they are during the day do you think the majority of accidents would still occur during the day?

ProvocativequestionsQuestions to challenge convention.

Questions:Will it ever be possible to have a zero fatalities road accident outcome for any given year in the future? Why do you think driving is so popular even though it is one of the most unsafe ways to travel?


about the guideExplain (article two)

Speeding just a little above the limit can greatly affect the likelihood of a collision, writes Myles Gough.

FoRMAnYPeoPle, driving becomes routine. They buckle themselves in and turn the key in the ignition; check

mirrors, shift into gear and seamlessly pull away into traffic. But sometimes on the road people cheat, speeding just a few kilometres per hour (km/h) over the speed limit in an effort to shave a few minutes off their travel time.

Travelling 65 km/h in a 60 zone might seem like a minor offense, and it may not result in a speeding ticket, but it could factor into the chance of being in a crash.

In a February 2011 study, researchers from the University of Adelaide watched vehicles at 127 different sites in South Australia where speed limits ranged from 50 to 110 km/h. They analysed crash sites where injuries or deaths occurred and found that the best way to reduce the number of car crash injuries would be to target low level speeders – those going just 1 to 5 km/h above the limit.

These results supported another report 10 years before that found the risk of being involved in a dangerous collision doubled with each 5 km/h speed increase above 60 km/h. This means that a car driving at 65 km/h in a 60 zone would be twice as likely to be involved in a crash resulting in death or hospitalisation than a car keeping to the speed limit. This risk is four times higher for a car racing at 70 km/h.

soWhYIsthere so much more of a risk from a comparatively minor speed hike? First, it takes the average driver 1.5 seconds to react to a hazard on the road, such as a cyclist or animal, but this can be longer if the driver is tired, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or distracted by texting, for example.

It is also important to consider the vehicle’s braking distance – how far it will travel before coming to a stop? This distance depends on the speed the car is travelling but also on many other things, including how good the brakes are, the slope of the road – when travelling uphill, gravity can help to slow things down – and the conditions of the road surface. “What sometimes happens on a wet road is that the brakes lock up and the car skids,” says physicist John Storey from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, noting that icy conditions can increase stopping distance by up to 10 times.

And the faster or heavier a vehicle is, the more damage it will do. This is because the energy of the moving vehicle (its kinetic energy; the energy an object possesses due to motion) is used up and transferred into another form – such as heat or sound. “In the case of a typical car crash the energy is used up crumpling and deforming the metal – it takes energy to smash and bend steel,” says Storey.

Say one car is travelling at 50 km/h and another at 55 km/h. Where the second car is travelling 10% faster than the first, it will have 20% more kinetic energy. If we suppose the car was travelling at 100 km/h, or double the speed of the first car, then the kinetic energy would increase by four. “That could make the difference between a minor ding in your car and a serious smash,” says forensic physicist Rod Cross from the University of Sydney. “It could make the difference between a fracture in the skull or a guy being outright killed.”

KIneTICeneRGYIs also an important consideration when judging the result of a larger vehicle hitting a smaller vehicle or a

pedestrian. “Each individual car carries its own kinetic energy into the collision, and assuming the cars are identical, then each of the cars absorbs its own kinetic energy,” says Storey. “Sure, you’ve got twice as much kinetic energy because there are two cars, but you’ve also got twice as many cars to spread the energy over.”

However, if one car was heavier or faster, than the result would instantly change – with the smaller car or the pedestrian suffering more damage. “If you collide a light object with a heavy object it’s the lighter object that rebounds more,” says Storey. “Think of a ball hitting a bat, the ball rebounds while the bat tends not to.”

According to statistics from the Australia’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, there were 1,315 road deaths between August 2010 and August 2011. Six hundred and seven of those deaths were drivers, 275 were passengers, 204 were motorcyclists, 189 were pedestrians and 39 were cyclists. The good news is this figure has been decreasing over the last five years. But one worrying figure is the difference between male and female deaths. In 2011, men accounted for more than 70% of all fatalities on Australian roads.

So could a reduced speed limit help prevent fatalities? In a 2004 study, researchers from the University of Adelaide Centre for Automotive Safety Research looked at a decision by the South Australian government to reduce the default urban speed limit from 60 km/h to 50 km/h. They found that average vehicle speed decreases by 2.3 km/h and the number of road crash casualties by 24%. It’s a small change that could make a big difference to the safety of our roads.

The physics of road safety

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about the guideExplain (article three)Explain (article two)

Glossary[Task] Use the table to define any science or technical terms that are related to this story.

Term Definition

Low level speeders

Braking distance

Gravity

Kinetic energy

Urban

summarising[Task] In your exercise book, answer the following questions.

1. Which branch of science conducts research on the effects of speeding and collision?

2. How do the following affect the braking distance of a car? (a) The slope of the road (b) How much water is on the road (c) Ice on the road (d) The condition of the car’s tyres

3. Define ‘kinetic energy’ and give some examples.

4. Describe what happens to the energy in a car crash when a car hits a wall?

5. What happens when two cars hit head on if: (a) one has greater mass than the other but is travelling at the same speed (b) they both have the same mass but one is going faster (c) they both have the same mass and are travelling at the same speed.






Question:Why does a few kilometres over the speed limit increase the risk of a road accident? How can gathering information at the scene of an accident help prevent another accident?


Questions:What sorts of things could cause a driver to brake really quickly and hence set them up for an accident? How can the researchers at Adelaide University make their research known to everyday drivers so that they won’t take risks by with low level speeding?


Questions:In the future if we all drive electric cars with a maximum speed of 40 km/h how much safer would the roads be? If you were a road safety engineer what kinds of technology would you work on to help reduce the way the destructive energy in a car crash is spread to the car and not to the people in the car?


Questions:Why do you think more males are injured or die in road accidents than females? Why do people continue to take risks when driving even though they are increasing the chance of an accident?

Explain (article two)


Explain (article three)

In this true story, a day at the beach ends in a terrifying car crash for a girl and her best friend.

onThe4sePTeMBeR2010, it was beautiful sunny day when my best friend Kate and I set out

to have a fabulous picnic at Kai Iwi beach

We were at the beach for a couple of hours before I had soccer practise, which Kate came to

watch. As we drove off from the beach we sang to Miley Cyrus, the CD began to play up and I asked her to change the music. The road we were on was called Rapanui Road, which is a long narrow counry road, a very dangerous road. Kate began to play around and she was pressing the wrong buttons, I looked down to show her the button she should be pressing.

I took my eyes of the road for at the most 2 seconds, it was a bad mistake. I looked up to see the left hand side of my car on the long grass, I started to panic as I realised what I’d done, I tried to take control but my car started to skid. I swerved too fast to the right and go over the other side of the line, luckily no cars were coming in that direction. By this time I’d lost total control of my little

Suzuki Swift 1990. The car was now back on the grass on the left side, I pulled on the brakes but it didn’t make a difference, the car was skidding and I looked up to see we were both heading for a tall concrete power pole.

The only things going through my mind were, “I’m about to die”, “this is it”, I closed my eyes as we hit the power pole, the car swung around to face the road. I looked to Kate to see if she was okay, that was all

that mattered to me, I wanted to know that my best friend wasn’t hurt. Within two seconds I saw the power pole falling, falling on top of us, so quick, it happened so fast. The pole fell right the centre of my car. I felt the glass break all over my face. Without thinking I yelled, “RUN”. I didn’t know if Kate had been hit by the pole, I could only hope she was unharmed.

I jumped out of the car to see sparks everywhere, wires all over the ground, but I just ran. Three steps and I stepped on a solid black power line, the electric shock happened very fast, and it was like a small electric shock times a million.

It was blank from then on, until I lay on the grass further down the road with my hand being held tight by my best friend. People were everywhere, I saw them taking photos. Five cop cars, one

ambulance and two fire trucks. We were taken to Wanganui

hospital, where we had many procedures. The electric shock went through my left foot and out of my chest/neck area. I walked away the day after the car accident with only

bad burn marks on my neck. We are very lucky girls. It is unbelievable we survived the crash and that we are still able to walk. The car was completely crushed. Someone was definitely watching over us and I’m so thankful to still have my best friend with me.

It’s a miracle my best friend and I survived

The only things going through my mind were, “I’m about to die”, “this is it”.

This is an edited version of a story from the Experience Project: experienceproject.com

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summary[Task] Describe this story to a friend in a couple of sentences.





Question:What is the main message in this story? Why do you think this story was included here?


Questions:How could the driver have prevented this accident? How could Kate have prevented this accident? How do you think the driver and Kate’s behaviour might change next time they want to change the music in the car?


Questions:If they had been travelling faster in the car when they had the accident, what might have happened?


Questions:Should a driver lose their licence for having had an accident? If Kate doesn’t want to get in the car again with her friend because she had an accident, do you think her behaviour is justified?


Bringingitalltogether[Task] In your exercise book, complete the following activites related to all of the four articles.

1. Which was your favourite article and why?

2. Create a mind map to show the relationship between all the different articles related to road safety.

3. List three big issues that you have learnt about from the articles.

4. Suggest why it is important to learn about the science behind road safety and low level speeding.

Explain (summarising)

The Motor Accident Commission explains how it strives to improve the safety of the roads in this report.

THE KEY THEMES of MAC’s road safety activity this year were a dedicated focus on road users

most at risk, a desire to push the creative envelope and working with road safety partners in the development of a new Road Safety Strategy for South Australia.MAC invested more than $10 million in road safety initiatives in 2010-11. Some of these were a first for South Australia and stimulated important community debate about road trauma.While we remained focused on mature road safety issues including speeding, drink and drug driving, seatbelts and fatigue, this year we launched three new campaigns specifically targeting regional motorists, low-level speeding and motorcyclists.MAC has also invested considerable time in researching and developing a campaign focusing on young drivers. Drivers aged 16 – 24 years have a crash rate double that of an average driver. They represent 14% of all licenced drivers, but generate over 30% of costs to the CTP Fund. The campaign will be launched in July 2011.

These target groups are grossly over-represented in fatality and serious injury crash statistics. They also have distinct demographic and behavioural differences warranting unique campaign messages and approaches.

While some argued our campaigns were too controversial, our objective was to deliver messages that our target audiences would listen and relate to.

Extensive market research went in to the development of these campaigns to ensure our messages were well targeted and influential. To date, our post-campaign market research has shown our approach was on the right track.

‘MaTEMorpHoSiS’, THE rEgional caMpaignRegional South Australia continues to be over represented in road crashes, fatality and serious injury figures. They comprise 30% of the population yet account for 61% of those killed and 50% of those seriously injured. The high trauma rate is largely attributed to young males.

Just like on the footy field, mateship is the glue that unites regional communities. This insight formed the basis for our ‘matemorphosis’ campaign. Launched in June 2011, the campaign featured real country people from the Callington Football Club, the location for the ad shoot. The campaign adopted a humorous approach but had a very serious message, encouraging young regional males to stop their mates from taking risks on the road.

As part of this important campaign, MAC implemented its Major Partnership with the South Australian Community Football League, to help reverse the disturbing trend of road trauma in regional South Australia.

‘gEar Up’, THE MoTorcYcliST caMpaignThe ‘Gear Up’ motorcyclist campaign, launched in November 2010, highlighted

the risks of riding without the appropriate protective clothing and once again featured Five-Time MotoGP Champion, Mick Doohan. It formed phase two of the motorcycle safety communication strategy.

It followed the successful first phase launched 12 months ago featuring a confronting

television commercial showing the dangers faced by

motorcyclists. The ongoing MAC campaign is the first to specifically

target motorcyclists in South Australia with research showing they’re 30 times more likely to be killed on our roads than a motorist. Motorcyclists are fully exposed to all the elements and are also particularly vulnerable to injury if they’re involved in a crash.

‘crEEpErS’, THE low-lEvEl SpEEding caMpaignFollowing on from the original ‘Creepers’ campaign developed in 2008, this refreshed campaign again focused on the damage that driving just a few kilometres over the limit can do. It featured three sequenced commercials showing a crash from the point of view of the driver, a witness and the victim. The campaign urged people to stick to the speed limit to stop creepers.

road SafETY in THE coMMUniTYMAC has provided support to two major road safety initiatives aimed at school students for many years now, namely the South Australian Police Road Safety Education Program and the Schoolies Festival. This year MAC’s partnership with the Schoolies Festival was nationally recognised at the Sponsorship Australasia Awards in the Best Cause Related Sponsorship category.

MAC’s community presence was further strengthened through supporting the Good Sports program, a program to assist community-based sports clubs in regional South Australia to reduce alcohol- related problems, most importantly drink driving.

As an Australian-first, MAC supported the trial of a breakthrough communications technology in Adelaide. The technology, known as Dedicated Short Range Communications, could dramatically reduce casualty crashes nationally by as much as 35%.

THE road aHEadSadly, far too many South Australians lost their lives and suffered serious injuries in road crashes this year. However we were encouraged that total road casualties reduced by approximately 6% on the previous year. While this percentage sounds insignificant, it translates to 300 fewer people being injured on our roads.

MAC will be relentless in its road safety efforts to accelerate this downward trend both now and into the future.This is an edited excert from the MAC annual report 2010-2011

Explain (article four)

Motor Accident Commission report

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Teacher’s informationIn this section, we explain the science of road safety by getting students to read Cosmos articles and other information about road safety issues. This section suggests discussion topics and activities linked to those articles. Before reading any of the articles there is a brainstorm activity to get students thinking about some of the unsafe behaviours that may lead to road accidents.




article one – road crash statistics


article two – Motor accident commission (Mac) report

This article mentions some of the research and strategies employed by the Motor Accident Commission of South Australia to communicate the importance of safety on our roads.

article three – The physics of road safety


Brainstorming[Task] Model the worst driver ever.

Around the figure and car below, draw or write some of the behaviours or actions of someone who is not a responsible driver.

Consider the following:• What they might have been doing just before they started driving that would compromise how well they drove.• The kinds of activities they might try to do, or be forced to do while driving, that would reduce their focus and ability to drive well.• Their general attitude to driving and other drivers on the road.• Any unsafe conditions of their vehicle or their environment they are not responding to.


glossary[Task] Use the table to define any science or technical words that are related to this article.

word definition

Hospital admission



about the guide

Summarising[Task] In your exercise book, complete the following questions related to this article.

1. Identify eight road safety initiatives of the Motor Accident Commission and describe them as well as you can using the information provided in the article. Use the table below to collate the information.

road safety initiative description of road safety initiative

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8




Questioning toolkit[Task] Below are a series of discussion questions in the form of a questioning toolkit. Choose some or all of the questions, or ask some of your own.


Type of question Your ideas and opinions

Essential questionsThese are the most important and central questions. They probe the deepest issues that confront us and can be difficult to answer.

Question:What does a motor safety commission do? Why do we need organisations such as the Motor Accident Commission to communicate issues in road safety to us?

Subsidiary questionsThese questions help us to manage our information by finding the most relevant details.

Questions:Why might riding a motor bike be more dangerous than driving a car? What are some of the campaigns the other road safety commissions in other states in Australia have implemented?

Hypothetical questionsQuestions designed to explore the possibilities, the ‘what ifs’? They are useful when we want to test our hunches.

Questions:Do you think there is any reason for someone to drive unsafely? Do you think awareness campaigns like the ones mentioned in the report above would help you drive more safely or do you think safe driving is more about common sense? If you were the boss of a road safety commission, which campaigns would you promote?

provocative questionsQuestions to challenge convention.

Questions:Is the money spent on road safety campaigns money well spent?


Elaborate

AbouttheCosmosmatrix

r

eso u r ce

Te

Acher’s

WhatisthecosMosscienceMatrix?A learning matrix such as the COSMOS Science Matrix is a flexible classroom tool designed to meet the needs of a variety of different learning styles across different levels of capabilities. Students learn in many different ways – some are suited to hands-on activities, others are strong visual learners, some enjoy intellectually challenging, independent hands-off activities, while others need more guidance. The matrix provides a smorgasbord of science learning activities from which teachers and/or students can choose.

canIusethematrixforoneortwolessons,orforawholeunitofstudy?Either! The matrix is designed to be time flexible as well as educationally flexible. A time frame for each activity is suggested on the matrix. Choose to complete one activity, or as many as you like.

Isthereroomforstudentnegotiation?Yes! Students can be given a copy of the matrix and choose their own activities, or design their own activities in consultation with their classroom teacher.

canIusethematrixforaclassassessment?Yes! You can set up a point system – perhaps one lesson equals one point. Students can be given a number of points to complete. If they choose less demanding activities, they will have to complete more of them.

rowheading Descriptionofactivity

scientificprocedure

Hands-on activities that follow the scientific method. Includes experiments and surveys. Great for kinaesthetic and logical learners, as well as budding scientists.

sciencephilosophy

Thinking about science and its role in society. Includes discussion of ethical issues, debates and hypothetical situations. An important part of science in the 21st century.

Beingcreativewithscience

For all those imaginative students with a creative flair. Great for visual and musical learners and those who like to be innovative with the written word.

sciencetimetravel

Here we consider scientific and technological development as a linear process by looking back in time or travelling creatively into the future.

‘Me’thescientist

Personalising the science experience in order to engage students more deeply.

communicatingwithgraphics

Using images to communicate complex science ideas.

IcT Exploring the topic using computers and the Internet.

Whatdotherowheadingsmean?

1.readandrevise 2.readandrelate 3.readandreview

Designed to enhance student comprehension of information.

Gives the student the opportunity to apply or transfer their learning into a unique format.

Involves the more challenging tasks of analysing, and/or assessing information in order to create and express new ideas and opinions.

Whatdothecolumnheadingsmean?


1.readandrevise–oneortw

olessons2.r

eadandrelate–threeorfourlessons3.r

eadandreview–fourorfi

velessons

scientific

procedureC

onduct an experiment to find out w

hich kind of seatbelt is the safest, a lap only, a lap sash, or a full harness. See Experim

ent 1.

Choose one of the experim

ental activities you undertook in the circuit of activities, such as how

lack of friction affects stopping tim

e or whether the speed of a car affects its stopping tim

e, and im

prove your methodology so that you can conduct a properly

controlled scientific investigation. Use any extra m

aterials you m

ay need. A tem

plate is provided for this investigation. See Experim

ent 2.

Design, conduct and w

rite up an experiment that dem

onstrates: Energy =

½ m

v2

In other words, how

2x speed gives you 4x longer braking distance

sciencephilosophy

A teenager w

ith a second hand car has just won $1,0

00

and w

ants to spend it on his car. Would it be safer for

him to upgrade the quality of his tyres so that they have

better grip, or tint his window

s so that people cannot see in?

Car and m

otorbike racing is inherently dangerous for drivers, their crew

and the spectators, with m

any injuries and deaths being recorded over the history of the sport. W

hy do you think hum

ans pursue such dangerous careers and pastimes? W

hat is it in hum

an nature that is attracted to a sport even though it has been responsible for its fair share of tragedy?

Physics has shown that bull bars can increase the dam

age to both pedestrians and passengers in a car during a crash. T

his is because they make the crum

ple zone of a car less effective. Som

e countries have banned bull bars on four-w

heel drives. Should Australia do the sam

e? Research the authentic arguments

for and against bull bars in metropolitan areas. C

omm

unicate your opinion as a letter to the editor, a blog or any sim

ilar format. You could also conduct a class

debate to expose the issues proposed by both sides of the argument.

Beingcreative

withscience

Design a road safety poster or bill board to show

the dangers of low

level speeding.If you double the velocity of a car you quadruple the stopping tim

e. Com

e up with a creative w

ay to visually show drivers how

this w

orks.

If style and money w

ere no object, design a safety car with internal and external

features that would reduce the am

ount of injuries to the passengers after a collision. C

onsider how the kinetic energy from

the impact could be converted

or transferred to the car rather than to the occupants of the car. Ideas to consider: changing the length of the crum

ple zone of the bonnet, the position and size of airbags.

sciencetim

etravelC

an you imagine a future w

ithout car accidents? Why or

why not?

Watch this silent film

of a 1921 grand prix car race.w

ww

.youtube.com/w

atch?v=_g2M

fj_dCn8&

feature=related

How

many dangers for the driver and spectators can you spot?

How

is the car unsafe? Com

pare to footage of a modern-day

grand prix race if you need to.

Write a dialogue betw

een two passengers in the back seat of a sm

art car with

the new D

edicated Short Range Com

munication (D

SRC) capabilities. T

he one passenger is explaining to the other how

it works as radio signals inform

the driver of potential dangers such as slow

vehicles up ahead, fast approaching em

ergency vehicles, faulty traffic lights and roadwork hazards. Research D

SRC

technology to find out how it w

ould comm

unicate to a driver and assist them to

avoid an accident.

‘Me’the

scientistW

hat happens to you and any other passengers in the car w

hen it brakes suddenly? Why do you think this

happens?

Imagine you are a science educator. D

esign a fun lesson or class activity to explain the science behind one safety feature in a new

car, such as how airbags, anti-locking brakes, cargo barriers

or the locking action of seatbelts works. M

ake sure there is a practical activity to com

plement the theory. C

heck with your

teacher to see if you can present the lesson to the rest of the class. O

RD

esign a practical lesson to demonstrate how

Energy =

½ m

v2 w

orks.

You are a car engineer. Explain how racing cars are constructed differently to

domestic cars so that w

hen they crash, bits fly off and take the kinetic energy w

ith them so that less of the im

pact can harm the driver. W

hy can’t domestic

cars do this? Where does the kinetic energy go w

hen domestic cars crash?

Explain what kinetic energy is and how

car engineers design cars so that the kinetic energy of a m

oving car can be converted to do the least harm to the

passengers.

com

municating

withgraphics

Make a m

ind map of inform

ation in the physics of driving article.

Use Pow

erpoint, or any other graphic tool, to show the forces

acting on a car going uphill.U

se a Venn diagram

to compare road safety issues w

hen driving a 60 tonne

truck compared to driving a 1 tonne car. Include inform

ation in relation to the percentage of lane space they take up, their m

ass, acceleration time, breaking

distance, overtaking rules and speed limits.

IcT

Using Excel, tabulate the data in the graph presented in

the first article of the Explain section.A

sk your teacher to register with Scootle (if they haven’t already)

and have a go at the following learning objects:

‘Car safety check: before buying’, code T

LF ID L1367

and ‘Give m

e a brake’, code TLF ID

L52. O

R Play som

e road safety games at:

ww

w.safetym

atters.renault.co.uk/media/gam

es/index.php?id=3

Improve this tow

n by making its roads safer

OR

Road safety hangman at w

ww

.rapsforkids.com.au/w

ordguess.php

Research a range of computer applications that are designed to prom

ote road safety. W

hich do you think could be the most useful and/or the m

ost effective? Either design your ow

n road safety app or describe in detail an idea for an app that w

ould help improve safety on the road.

Elaborate


BAckgrounDInforMATIonDepending on which type of vehicle you travel in, how old you are and which decade you spent most of your time in a car, there are three types of seatbelts you could have worn. Lap seat belts, like those on aeroplanes, are worn across the lap; lap sash seatbelts are those that have both a strap across the waist and one diagonally across the chest, such as the ones we commonly use today; and a harness seatbelt has straps over both shoulders and one horizontally across the chest.

AIMTo find out which seat belt is the safest to have in a car.

MATerIAls• Rag doll (optional)• Plasticine• Cardboard box (such as a shoe box) that the doll can fit inside• String• Scissors• Masking tape• Round plastic lid (to be used a a steering wheel)• Piece of dowling (to be used as the steering column)

rIskAnAlysIs

risk Precaution consequence

Sharp pointy scissors

MeThoD1. Cover the rag doll with a thin layer of plasticine across the chest, head, arms and legs. Alternatively make a plasticine figure.2. Make two holes in the back of the box with the pointy end of the scissors.3. Wrap a piece of string around the waist of the doll and then through the holes in the box so that the back of the doll is attached to the box by the string ‘seatbelt’.4. Put the lid on the box or fold lid over and secure with masking tape.5. Hold the box so that the doll inside the box is facing the floor.6. Let the box go so that it hits the floor.7. Open the box and examine the markings on the plasticine caused by the impact and the seatbelt.8. Record your observations in the results table.9. Repeat steps 3 to 8 using a lap sash seatbelt on the doll.10.Repeat steps 3 to 8 using a harness seatbelt on the doll.

Experiment 1WhIchTyPeofseATBelTIsThesAfesT?

Elaborate

iSTO

CK

PHO

TO


resulTs

oBservATIonsAfTerheADoncollIsIon(DroPPIngTheBox)

seATBelTTyPe Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Lap

Lap sash

Harness

DIscussIon1. How was this doll and box model able to show the effects of a real head on collision in a car?2. How was this model limited in showing the effects of a real head in collision in a car?3. Which seat belt caused the least damage to the doll?4. Why do you think the other two seatbelts are used, if this one is the safest?

conclusIon In your exercise book, write a conclusion that responds to the aim and summarises your results.

Elaborate


Elaborate

BAckgrounDInforMATIonIn the TV show Mythbusters, as well as in real life science, experiments are often analysed for their ability to really answer the question that was asked in the first place. Each new attempt at an experiment tries to make the test more valid, that is, fairer. Scientists check that all variables except the one being tested are not having an effect, and that the method used will allow the research question to be answered. In school science we rarely have time for this.

Choose one of the experiments from the circuit of activities and have a go at redesigning it so that it will be more valid. Use any extra materials you may need.

youcanchoosefrom:Does lack of grip on the tyres affect stopping time?Do wet slippery roads affect stopping time?Does the speed the car is travelling at affect its stopping time?Does the mass of a car affect the stopping time?What happens to a pet in the back seat during an accident if they are not restrained with a seatbelt?

Fill in the template below as you plan and conduct your experiment.

reseArchquesTIon(Write the question you want to investigate below.)

AIM(Turn the research question into an experimental aim below.)To find out...

hyPoThesIs(Say what you think will happen and why.)

MATerIAls(Write a list of materials that you will use in this investigation.) • • • • • • • • • •

Experiment 2revIeWIngexPerIMenTs


rIskAnAlysIs(Identify any risks associated with this investigation. Ask your teacher to check your risk analysis before you continue with your investigation.)


MeThoD(Write instructions for your investigation here so that someone independent could follow them and carry out the exact same experiment that you did.)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Elaborate


Elaborate

resulTs(Design a table to collect the data taken from several trials. You may want to include an average of the trials).

DIscussIonAnswer the following questions in your exercise book.

1. Were your results similar to your hypothesis?2. Do you think that you answered the research question? Why or why not?3. Identify any difficulties you had when trying to bust this myth and how you overcame them.4. If there was no limit to the money, space, time and equipment that could be used to answer this research question, what method could you use?

conclusIonIn your exercise book, write a conclusion that summarises your results and responds to the aim.


Speedingcrossword

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Across9. We need to do this to the number of road fatalities.11. When riding a bike, this must be worn.12. Talking on the phone while driving can reduce this.13. Under what age can you ride your bike on the pavement?15.This should be done to a passenger pet when travelling in a car.17.Low level speeding is up to how many kilometres over the speed limit?18. What is the speed limit outside a school at the start of a school day?

Down1.Royal ? Association2.The energy of movement3. These people can legally go above speed limit.4.Never get in the car with someone in this condition.5.The braking distance going downhill is ___________compared to uphill.6.Everyone in the car must have their own.7.A seatbelt must be worn when the car is doing what?8. When driving long distances, what should the driver take regularly?10. This can make the roads slippery and increase braking distance.14.When is it okay to throw something to the driver when in a car?15. Road safety education (abbreviation)16. What is the colour of caution on a traffic light?

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Speedingwordsearch

D O S S E N E R A W A E R R S

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C A M P A I G N S G A B R I A

Findthefollowingwordshiddenbackwards,forwards,diagonally,downwardsandupwards:air bags, attention, awareness, campaigns, caution, check mirrors, concentrate, drivers licence, education, give way, hazard, impact, reaction time, respect, responsibility, revive, road signs, road works, school zones, slow down, sober, speed limit, statistics

Createyourownroadsafetyquiza) Ask each student to call out a word related to road safety. Record these on the board. b) Each student must pick six words from the board and write a definition for each. c) Students then pick four more words from the board and write a paragraph describing them. They should highlight their chosen words in the paragraph. d) Students create a concept map showing all they have learnt about road safey and speeding using at least half the words from the board. They should show links between words and write along lines connecting words to show how the terms are related.

Evaluate


Evaluate

SpeedingindividualunitreviewWhataboutyou? Drawing

Are you a safe pedestrian and passenger in the car? How has this unit helped you understand how to be safe on the roads?

Create an image that summarised this unit of work for you.

LearningSummary Yourphilosophy

Write five dot points of things that you learnt about road safety.

What is your new philosophy about road safety and speeding? How has studying this unit of work on road safety changed your behavior as either a pedestrian, bike rider or driver? What can you do to make the road a safer place for yourself, your family and for fellow citizens?

Morequestions? Metacognition

Write three questions that you still have about road safety. Which part of this unit of study on road safety had the biggest impact on you? Why?

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The science and myths of low

level speeding

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years 7-9


RiAus PDplus Teacher Notes is a new initiative of RiAus that has been designed to assist middle school (Years 7 – 9) teachers engage and involve their students. The notes supplement a PDplus presentation hosted by RiAus on science and myths of low level speeding, which will allow teachers to have access and put questions to scientists about their research and careers.

See the RiAus website for further details and footage.www.riaus.org.au Other riAus PDplus teAcher NOtes Food Security, Synthetic Biology, The Square Kilometre Array and The World Solar Challenge. These PDplus Teacher Notes are available on the RiAus website: http://riaus.org.au/programs/our-projects/riaus-pdplus

The notes offer both variety and flexibility of use for the differentiated classroom. Teachers and students can choose to use all or any of the five sections – although it is recommended to use them in sequence, and all or a few of the activities within each section.

The guide will employ the ‘Five Es’ instructional model designed by Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, an educational research group in Colorado, USA. It has been found to be extremely effective in engaging students in learning science and technology. It follows a constructivist or inquiry based approach to learning, in which students build new ideas on top of the information they have acquired through previous experience. Its components are:

Engage Students are asked to make connections between past and present learning experiences and become fully engaged in the topic to be learned.

Explore Students actively explore the concept or topic being taught. It is an informal process where the students should have fun manipulating ideas or equipment and discovering things about the topic.

Explain This is a more formal phase where the theory behind the concept is taught. Terms are defined and explanations given to models and theories.

Elaborate Students develop a deeper understanding of sections of the topic.

Evaluate Teacher and students evaluate what they have learned in each section.

How To usE THE guidE

inTroducTion To THE guidE

THE ‘FiVE Es’ ModEl

useful websites Motor Accident Commisionhttp://www.mac.sa.gov.au/

The University of Adelaide Centre for Automotive Safety Researchhttp://casr.adelaide.edu.au/

Street smart campaign for seniorshttp://www.raa.com.au/page.aspx?TerID=953

Road safetyhttp://www.raa.com.au/page.aspx?TerID=1224

Transport statisticshttp://www.bitre.gov.au/info.aspx?NodeId=167

Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructurehttp://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/roadsafety

Road crash factshttp://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/roadsafety/road_crash_facts/sa_crashes

Road safety timelinehttp://casr.adelaide.edu.au/dbtw-wpd/Timeline/timelinesearch.htm

About the guide

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created by Sally Parker Editor Heather Catchpoledesigner Fiona MacDonaldEditor-in-chief Wilson da SilvaPublisher Kylie Ahern The RiAus PDplus Teacher Notes publication is produced by COSMOS magazine for the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus).

This resource is made possible thanks to support from:

© 2012 COSMOS Media Pty Ltd, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner or form for commercial purposes or outside of an educational setting. COSMOS, The Science of Everything™ is protected by trademarks in Australia and the USA. This guide was first published on 1 February 2012.


Thescienceofspeeding

EnErgy

Energy is the ability to do work. Any organism or machine that does work needs an energy source. Energy can be measured in units called joules (J). One joule of energy is used to lift a 100 gram mass one metre.

There are many different types of energy. These have been summarised in the table below.

EnErgyTyPE EXPLAnATIOn EXAMPLE

Kinetic Movement Moving car

Gravitational potential Energy that an object has when it is up high.

A skier at the top of a ski slope, a falling object.

Elastic potential The energy an object has when it is stretched.

A stretched rubber band or softness of a piece of sheet metal in a car bonnet.

Chemical potential The energy that is stored in chemicals.

The energy in food or petrol.

Nuclear Energy released from atoms.

The reactions that occur to hydrogen in the Sun.

Sound Energy caused by vibrating objects.

Clapping your hands produces sound energy so do two cars colliding.

Heat Energy caused by the virbration of particles within an object.

An oven releases heat energy so does a car engine.

Light Energy released from very hot objects or chemicals.

Television releases light energy.

Electrical Energy caused by the movement of electrons.

The lights in a house use electrical energy.

Whatdoesdrivingacarsafelyhavetodowithscience?Alot-scientificprinciplesdeterminehowacarwillmoveandreactindifferentsituations,andcanhelpresearchersunderstandhowcrashescanbeavoided.Hereissomeofthesciencebehindroadsafety.

HistoryofroadsafetyHere’s a timeline of driving, road safety laws and our understanding of the physcis behind movement.

1330s Italian inventors design wind-driven vehicles.

1687 Newton publishes his three laws of motion in a book called Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, commonly known as the Principia.

1710s Thomas Newcomen builds an early model of a steam engine.

1760s James Watt builds a pressurised steam engine.

1860s Étienne Lenoir patented the first practical gas engine in Paris.

1890s Henry Ford builds and sells his first cars.

1903 Safety glass is invented by French chemist Edouard Benedictus.

1920s Road safety record keeping begins and the National Safety Council is formed.

1930s&40s The focus on safety grows with more countries and cities introducing drivers’ licenses and traffic lights.

Backgrounder

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Backgrounder

1950s Most countries require drivers to pass a test before getting behind the wheel of a car. Research into developing a crumple zone at the front of the car begins.

1960s Anti lock brakes (to help prevent skidding) and rear head rests (to help prevent whiplash) are introduced into cars. The first crash test dummy ‘Sierra Sam’ is created. In Australia, it becomes compulsory for all new cars to have fitted seatbelts. Helmets become compulsory for motorbike riders.

1970s Breath testing begins in Australia and seatbelts become compulsory for all passengers. Australia introduces the first legislation requiring children to wear restraints when in vehicles.

1980s Air bags are introduced in most car models. The first three speed cameras are used on Australian roads. A campaign begins in Australia to reduce default speed limit to 50 km/h.

1987 Earliest versions of Electronic Stability Control (ESC), a technology utilised in vehicles to detect when the car is skidding. ESC helps the driver correct the movement of the car by applying the brakes on the wheels so the driver has more control during the skid.

1990s 40 km zones near schools in Australia are introduced.

2000s National Road Safety Strategy developed in Australia with the aim of reducing road fatalities by 40%.

2010s Child restraint laws tightened to improve the safety of small children in cars.

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Kinetic energy is the energy of movement. The movement of the pistons in a car engine (converted from the chemical energy of the petrol) is converted into the actual movement of the car. When a car collides with a stationary object the kinetic energy is converted into energy deforming the bonnet and any other area of the car and the object it hits. Heat and sound energy is also released.

If the mass of the vehicle accelerates due to a force acting on it there will be an increase in kinetic energy. The more kinetic energy there is the more that needs to be displaced when the vehicle collides. When the force acting on a vehicle is friction, the kinetic energy of the car is converted to heat energy, and sound energy if the brakes squeal, due to the friction required to slow it down.

When Formula 1 cars crash their external parts are designed to come to pieces and fly off in all directions while the driver remains strapped to the inner frame of the vehicle. The kinetic energy of the flying parts move a great deal of kinetic energy away from the vehicle so that there is less near the car that can harm the driver.

When two cars travelling at 50km/h hit each other head on the damage is the same as a car travelling 50km/h hitting a brick wall. It is easy to imagine the damage would be twice as bad because there is twice as much kinetic energy to convert due to the movement of both vehicles. But the damage is the same because even though there is twice as much kinetic energy, there are two bonnets to absorb it as they crumple.

Elastic energy is energy stored in a spring or piece of elastic. Although dodgem car collisions are somewhat elastic, where the kinetic energy of the moving car is absorbed by the spongy rubber and then converted back to kinetic energy as the dodgem car bounces away, collisions between metallic cars are not elastic. The kinetic energy of the moving car is converted into the energy required to crumple the bonnet or other panels when the car hits something.

There has been a great deal of research into the crumple effect of the bonnet of a vehicle to allow it to absorb as much of the kinetic energy of a car crash as possible so that the energy is not transferred to the passengers where it can cause major injury.

EnErgyOfCArCOLLIsIOns

sierrasam

A force is a push or a pull on an object and is needed for a change to take place in that object. For example forces are needed to start a car and make it move, and forces are also needed to slow it down.

fOrCEs


There are many different types of forces. These have been summarised in the table below.

TyPEOffOrCE EXPLAnATIOn EXAMPLE

Magnetic A non-contact force between magnetic objects and objects that can be influenced by magnetic objects

Magnets are used in some motors but the ones we are most familiar with are those we use to stick things to the fridge door.

Electrostatic A non-contact force between charged objects Any objects with a negative or positive charge, such as the charge you feel after rubbing your feet on the carpet and then touching someone.

Gravity An non-contact force between every object in the universe. Usually seen on Earth occurring between the massive Earth and objects that are attracted to Earth

The car sitting on the road as it drives is gravity at work. The contact the wheel shares with the ground allow it to move forward and stop. When you have to accelerate going up a hill or brake when coming down a hill it is because of gravity.

Mechanical A contact force where we can see objects pushing and pulling each other.

The thrust that turns the wheels of a car and sends it forward.

Friction A contact force that occurs when objects rub against each other. Friction opposes the direction of motion of an object.

Friction occurs between the tyres and the road and is very important in helping a car to stop. Friction causes heat – just try rubbing your hand together!

Air resistance A contact that involves air particles pushing against a moving object.

Most cars are streamlined to reduce air resistance so that they require less energy to move along at the speed limit. Drag causes the car to slow down due to air resistance.

Lateral forces Are also known as turning forces and occur when an object turns a corner.

As a car and the passengers in it turn the corner they want to stay travelling in a straight line. When the car turns the passengers tend to move in the opposite direction to the turning car.

TyPEsOffOrCEs

Backgrounder

When you start a car’s engine, fuel is mixed with air, fed into the cylinders and ignited. The mixture explodes. Expanding gases push the pistons down, which turns the crankshaft. When you shift the transmission into gear, power is transmitted from the crankshaft to the wheels and the car starts to move. The forces acting upon the car have become unbalanced, and the car begins to accelerate and is thrust forward. If the ground is slippery, such when it is icy, the tyres cannot grip and the ground cannot match the force of the tyres and push it forward as easily.

Friction is a force that has an enormous effect on the motion of everyday objects and is very important to road safety. Friction is the opposing force of two objects rubbing together and produces heat. If the surfaces are rough there is a great deal of friction and if the surfaces are smooth there is very little friction. Without friction cars would have difficulty stopping. Anything that reduces friction, such as a wet slippery road or bald tyres threatens road safety.

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When notice comes through from the South Australia ambulance service that there’s been a car crash, investigators from the Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) at the University of Adelaide have to act quickly.

Part of their job is to reconstruct the impact scenario in order to better understand and improve road safety, but to do this, it’s critical that the accident site is preserved until they arrive.

“If the vehicles have been moved, or if we have no clear indication of where the vehicles ended up, we may not even proceed with the investigation,” explains Sam Doecke, an investigator and automotive engineer at the CASR.

Once on scene, Doecke and his colleagues liaise with emergency personnel before carefully marking the position of the vehicles and, if fatalities have occurred, any position of bodies.

Next they mark and measure physical evidence such as skid marks, scrapes and gouges in the road surface, and debris. They then take photographs of the scene, speak to witnesses and involved parties if possible, and conduct a detailed engineering survey of the site.

Back in the lab, the team puts all the information into a searchable database, draws a scaled diagram of the crash site and begins the process of piecing the accident together, hoping to identify the contributing factors – and perhaps, determine who was at fault.

“If there are really nice critical speed marks, where a vehicle has lost control and left long, curving skid marks along the road, we can use those to do a fairly basic calculation,” says Doecke.

But for crashes involving multiple vehicles, where they collide and spin out, the researchers rely on 3D computer modelling.

“Technically speaking it’s not reconstruction, because it doesn’t work backwards – it works forwards, so it’s more like

simulating until we get something that matches the physical evidence,” he says. “We’ll estimate the speed, and the impact, then do a run and see how close that is to matching what we know happened.”

This requires knowing as much information about the vehicles as possible, including their make, model and year, in order to determine their exact dimensions and mass.

For Doecke, who began his university career studying mechanical engineering before switching to automotive engineering, working with cars was always in the game plan.

“I always had an interest in vehicles and tinkering with the design,” recalls the 27-year-old, who has had a long-held interest in motor racing, and just recently began venturing out

on the track himself. In his final year of study he took a course

called automotive safety, which was run by some of the researchers at the CASR. “It was the first time I heard of the centre,” he recalls, “and it really caught my interest – it was something I could do on the automotive engineering side of things that could really have a positive impact.”

And at the CASR, the Australian-born researcher has had a chance to make some significant contributions; authoring studies on how the number of casualty crashes on South Australian roads can be reduced by targeting low-level speeders, and simulating pedestrian impacts to gauge injury scenarios.

For Doecke, research into road and automobile safety has heralded an unforeseen appeal. “I never really intended to get into research per se,” he says, “but what’s quite interesting about research is that there are constantly new topics – it’s not repetitive. There’s always a new problem to solve, or a question to answer.” – Myles Gough

Profile: Sam DoeckeCrash scene investigator and automotive engineerCASR, University of Adelaide

“It was something I could do that could really have a positive

impact.”


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Road injuries cause 600,000 deaths in Southeast Asia every year and are currently the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. Rebecca Ivers, director of the Injury Division at The George Institute for Global Health and an associate professor at the University of Sydney, directs a research program that focuses on injury prevention, with a strong emphasis on preventing injuries from road crashes.

She and her research team examine how many people are affected by injury and the resulting disability, the risk factors involved, and how these injuries can be prevented. “Our research measures the size of the problem, and evaluates effectiveness of prevention programs.”

Ivers initially studied optometry at the University of New South Wales and worked in the government’s eye health and trachoma programs in the Northern Territory after graduation.

“I really wanted to do something where I felt like I could make a difference to people’s lives,” she said. “That’s been the thing that’s driven me all along.”

While she was in the Northern Territory, she became interested in public health, especially among Aboriginal communities in remote areas. She returned to university and undertook a master’s in public health at the University of Sydney, which then led to a PhD in injury epidemiology.

She initially focused on studying the falls and fractures resulting from poor vision and identifying the associated risks for older people, before moving on to injuries caused by poor vision and road crashes. Then in 2000 she oversaw DRIVE, a study that assessed the risk factors for over 20,000 novice drivers.

“In that study we found that risky driving is linked to an increased risk of crash, as is self-harm behaviour. We also found that young rural drivers are at far greater risk of single-vehicle crashes, which are more likely to result in serious injury than other crash types,” Ivers said.

Her studies have also focused working with the government to understand and prevent road injuries in the Aboriginal communities.

Statistics indicate that members of these communities are twice as likely to die in a road accident and are 40% more likely to be injured, which can be attributed in part to the bad roads, older cars and less access to emergency services in remote services, according to Ivers.

Some of her other projects are aimed at understanding and preventing injuries in China, India and Vietnam.

In the case of injuries resulting from road accidents, the higher diversity of vehicles – including bicycles and motorbicycles – on the roads in Southeast Asia and the low levels of road rule enforcement contribute to the high

injury toll. “There’s a whole multitude of risk factors,” said Ivers. – Laura Boness

Profile: Rebecca IversDirector of the Injury Division, George Institute for Global Health and associate Professor at the University of Sydney

“We found that young rural drivers are at far greater risk of single-vehicle crashes, which are more likely to result

in serious injury than other crash types.”


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Engage

[Task]Unsafedriving

1.In the table below, circle each of the unsafe driving issue on the images.2.Identify why this is an unsafe driving practice by suggesting a possible dangerous outcome.3.Write a brief sentence to explain to the driver what they must do to drive safely.

Unsafe scenario Why is it unsafe? What is the possible outcome?

Advice to the unsafe driver

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Explore (teacher’s page)

Teacher’sinformationThe aim of the Explore section is for the students to investigate some of the myths an ideas around road safety and ponder their possible impacts on the lives of their friends and family. It is intended that the students make their own discoveries about each station as well as experience inquiry based science as they work around the stations in the room.

The equipment table below lists the equipment and preparation required.

Station MaterialsList

Station one Wearing a seat belt makes no difference if the driver is going at the speed limit when they hit something.

Toy carRampPlasticineStringElastic bandsSmall plastic figurine (or something to represent a figure)Ruler

Station two Small increases in speed do not increase the severity of a crash.

Toy car Ramp Something to crash the car into, such as plasticine that can be put up against a hard surface

Station three The mass of a car does not affect the damage it can do in a collision.

Two toy cars with different massRampPlasticineA wall or something solid to crash in to

Station four Friction and stopping distance Two toy cars

VaselineOilRampSmooth plastic sheetGlad wrap

Station five How safe is your pet? A computer to play the following video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBX_UxuIf_Y&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Station six Glossary of terms

Science dictionary or science text book

Station seven Forces at work

No equipment needed, just the image on the worksheet

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Stationone[Task]Bust the myth: wearing a seat belt makes no difference if the driver is going at the speed limit when they hit something.

1. Use the materials provided by your teacher to conduct a simple investigation to find out if attaching a ‘driver’ to the car with a seatbelt is safer when the car hits a solid object than not attaching the driver.

2. What method did you use to attempt to find out if the seat belt makes a difference during collision?



Stationtwo[Task]Bust the myth: do small increases in speed increase the severity of a car crash?

1. Use the materials provided to design and conduct a simple investigation to find out if increases in speed affect the impact of a car crashing into a wall.

2. What method did you use to attempt to try to find the effect of small increases in speed on the severity of a car crash?



Stationthree[Task]Bust the myth: does the mass of a car affect the damage it can do in a collision?

1. Use the materials provided to design and conduct a simple investigation to find out if the mass of a car affects the damage it can cause another object after a collision.

2. What method did you use to attempt to try to find out the effect of the mass of a car during a collision?



Stationfour[Task]Do you think of your pet when you take it for a trip in the car?

1. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBX_UxuIf_Y&feature=endscreen&NR=1

2. What are the dangers to your pet in a car if they are not wearing a seatbelt-type restraint?

3. What are the dangers to the driver and passengers if a pet is not wearing a seatbelt type restraint?

4. What other ways can pets be restrained in a car?


Stationfive[Task]What effect do slippery surfaces have on stopping distance?

1. Use the materials provided to design and conduct a simple investigation to find out if slippery tyres or a slippery road affects stopping distance.

2. What method did you use to attempt to try to find out if slippery surfaces affect stopping distance?



Stationsix[Task]Predict what each of these terms mean and then use a science dictionary or your text book to write the scientific definition.

WorD PreDIcTeDMeaNING ScIeNTIFIcMeaNING

Speed

Velocity

Mass

Momentum

Energy

Kinetic energy

Force

Acceleration

Motion

Collision



Stationseven[Task]Which forces are at work when a car is moving along the road?

1. Label the image above to show the forces that are at work when a car drives down the street. Include the following forces in action on a moving car: friction, air resistance, push, drag, thrust and gravity.

2. Use arrows to show the direction of the action of the force.

Summary1. Which station was your favourite? Why?

2. At which station did you learn the most? What did you learn?

3. What questions do you have about speed and car collisions after completing these activities?

Explore (student activities)is

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Explain (introduction)

Teacher’sinformationIn this section, we explain the science of road safety by getting students to read Cosmos articles and other information about road safety issues. This section suggests discussion topics and activities linked to those articles. Before reading any of the articles there is a brainstorm activity to get students thinking about some of the unsafe behaviours that may lead to road accidents.




Articleone–Roadcrashstatistics


Articletwo–Thephysicsofroadsafety


Articlethree–Truestory:it’samiraclemybestfriendandIsurvivedthecarcrash

A driver’s account of a lucky escape from a car accident.

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Brainstorming[Task] Model the worst driver ever

Around the figure below, draw or write some of the behaviours or actions of someone who is not a responsible driver.

Consider the following:• What they might have been doing just before they started driving that would compromise how well they drove• The kinds of activities they might try to do, or be forced to do while driving that would reduce their focus and ability to drive well• Their general attitude to driving and other drivers on the road with them• Any unsafe conditions of their vehicle or their environment they are not responding to


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Data and graph from: http://www.nrsc.gov.au/road_crash_statistics/index.aspx


Road crash statisticsRoad crashes result in about 1,500 fatalities and 30,000 hospital admissions each year. The annual cost to the national economy is estimated to be $27 billion.

This graph shows the total number of road deaths in Australia from 2000 to 2010.

months.

Australian road deaths for 12 months over the last 10 years



Glossary[Task]Use the table to define any science or technical words that are related to this article.

Word Definition

Hospital admission

Fatality

summarising[Task] In your exercise book, complete the following questions.

1. How many people die on Australian roads each year?

2. What is the general trend for road fatalities from 2000 to 2010?

3. What is the estimated cost of road accidents to the Australian economy?

4. Draw a line of best fit on graph 1 over the top of the line graph provided using your ruler. Extend this line to predict the number of road deaths in 2015.







Question:Why do road accidents occur? Why do you think the number of road fatalities have fallen over the last 40 years even though there are more drivers and cars on the road?


Questions:Most road fatalities occur during the day, why do you think this happens and there aren’t more accidents at night? Why are there still fatalities when cars travelling at less than 100km/h? Does driving even a little over the speed limit still increase the level of danger if there is an accident?


Questions:Do you think that if less people drove and more people rode their bikes or walked to where they had to be each day that the number of road fatalities would decrease? If the roads were just as busy at night as they are during the day do you think the majority of accidents would still occur during the day?


Questions:Will it ever be possible to have a zero fatalities road accident outcome for any given year in the future? Why do you think driving is so popular even though it is one of the most unsafe ways to travel?


about the guideExplain (article two)

Speeding just a little above the limit can greatly affect the likelihood of a collision, writes Myles Gough.

FoRmAnYPeoPle, driving becomes routine. They buckle themselves in and turn the key in the ignition; check

mirrors, shift into gear and seamlessly pull away into traffic. But sometimes on the road people cheat, speeding just a few kilometres per hour (km/h) over the speed limit in an effort to shave a few minutes off their travel time.

Travelling 65 km/h in a 60 zone might seem like a minor offense, and it may not result in a speeding ticket, but it could factor into the chance of being in a crash.

In a February 2011 study, researchers from the University of Adelaide watched vehicles at 127 different sites in South Australia where speed limits ranged from 50 to 110 km/h. They analysed crash sites where injuries or deaths occurred and found that the best way to reduce the number of car crash injuries would be to target low level speeders – those going just 1 to 5 km/h above the limit.

These results supported another report 10 years before that found the risk of being involved in a dangerous collision doubled with each 5 km/h speed increase above 60 km/h. This means that a car driving at 65 km/h in a 60 zone would be twice as likely to be involved in a crash resulting in death or hospitalisation than a car keeping to the speed limit. This risk is four times higher for a car racing at 70 km/h.

soWhYIsthere so much more of a risk from a comparatively minor speed hike? First, it takes the average driver 1.5 seconds to react to a hazard on the road, such as a cyclist or animal, but this can be longer if the driver is tired, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or distracted by texting, for example.

It is also important to consider the vehicle’s braking distance – how far it will travel before coming to a stop? This distance depends on the speed the car is travelling but also on many other things, including how good the brakes are, the slope of the road – when travelling uphill, gravity can help to slow things down – and the conditions of the road surface. “What sometimes happens on a wet road is that the brakes lock up and the car skids,” says physicist John Storey from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, noting that icy conditions can increase stopping distance by up to 10 times.

And the faster or heavier a vehicle is, the more damage it will do. This is because the energy of the moving vehicle (its kinetic energy; the energy an object possesses due to motion) is used up and transferred into another form – such as heat or sound. “In the case of a typical car crash the energy is used up crumpling and deforming the metal – it takes energy to smash and bend steel,” says Storey.

Say one car is travelling at 50 km/h and another at 55 km/h. Where the second car is travelling 10% faster than the first, it will have 20% more kinetic energy. If we suppose the car was travelling at 100 km/h, or double the speed of the first car, then the kinetic energy would increase by four. “That could make the difference between a minor ding in your car and a serious smash,” says forensic physicist Rod Cross from the University of Sydney. “It could make the difference between a fracture in the skull or a guy being outright killed.”

KIneTIceneRGYIs also an important consideration when judging the result of a larger vehicle hitting a smaller vehicle or a

pedestrian. “Each individual car carries its own kinetic energy into the collision, and assuming the cars are identical, then each of the cars absorbs its own kinetic energy,” says Storey. “Sure, you’ve got twice as much kinetic energy because there are two cars, but you’ve also got twice as many cars to spread the energy over.”

However, if one car was heavier or faster, than the result would instantly change – with the smaller car or the pedestrian suffering more damage. “If you collide a light object with a heavy object it’s the lighter object that rebounds more,” says Storey. “Think of a ball hitting a bat, the ball rebounds while the bat tends not to.”

According to statistics from the Australia’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, there were 1,315 road deaths between August 2010 and August 2011. Six hundred and seven of those deaths were drivers, 275 were passengers, 204 were motorcyclists, 189 were pedestrians and 39 were cyclists. The good news is this figure has been decreasing over the last five years. But one worrying figure is the difference between male and female deaths. In 2011, men accounted for more than 70% of all fatalities on Australian roads.

So could a reduced speed limit help prevent fatalities? In a 2004 study, researchers from the University of Adelaide Centre for Automotive Safety Research looked at a decision by the South Australian government to reduce the default urban speed limit from 60 km/h to 50 km/h. They found that average vehicle speed decreases by 2.3 km/h and the number of road crash casualties by 24%. It’s a small change that could make a big difference to the safety of our roads.

The physics of road safety

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about the guideExplain (article three)Explain (article two)

Glossary[Task] Use the table to define any science or technical terms that are related to this story.

Term Definition

Low level speeders

Braking distance

Gravity

Kinetic energy

Urban

summarising[Task] In your exercise book, answer the following questions.

1. Which branch of science conducts research on the effects of speeding and collision?

2. How do the following affect the braking distance of a car? (a) The slope of the road (b) How much water is on the road (c) Ice on the road (d) The condition of the car’s tyres

3. Define ‘kinetic energy’ and give some examples.

4. Describe what happens to the energy in a car crash when a car hits a wall?

5. What happens when two cars hit head on if: (a) one has greater mass than the other but is travelling at the same speed (b) they both have the same mass but one is going faster (c) they both have the same mass and are travelling at the same speed.






Question:Why does a few kilometres over the speed limit increase the risk of a road accident? How can gathering information at the scene of an accident help prevent another accident?


Questions:What sorts of things could cause a driver to brake really quickly and hence set them up for an accident? How can the researchers at Adelaide University make their research known to everyday drivers so that they won’t take risks by with low level speeding?


Questions:In the future if we all drive electric cars with a maximum speed of 40 km/h how much safer would the roads be? If you were a road safety engineer what kinds of technology would you work on to help reduce the way the destructive energy in a car crash is spread to the car and not to the people in the car?


Questions:Why do you think more males are injured or die in road accidents than females? Why do people continue to take risks when driving even though they are increasing the chance of an accident?

Explain (article two)



In this true story, a day at the beach ends in a terrifying car crash for a girl and her best friend.

onThe4sePTemBeR2010, it was beautiful sunny day when my best friend Kate and I set out

to have a fabulous picnic at Kai Iwi beach

We were at the beach for a couple of hours before I had soccer practise, which Kate came to

watch. As we drove off from the beach we sang to Miley Cyrus, the CD began to play up and I asked her to change the music. The road we were on was called Rapanui Road, which is a long narrow counry road, a very dangerous road. Kate began to play around and she was pressing the wrong buttons, I looked down to show her the button she should be pressing.

I took my eyes of the road for at the most 2 seconds, it was a bad mistake. I looked up to see the left hand side of my car on the long grass, I started to panic as I realised what I’d done, I tried to take control but my car started to skid. I swerved too fast to the right and go over the other side of the line, luckily no cars were coming in that direction. By this time I’d lost total control of my little

Suzuki Swift 1990. The car was now back on the grass on the left side, I pulled on the brakes but it didn’t make a difference, the car was skidding and I looked up to see we were both heading for a tall concrete power pole.

The only things going through my mind were, “I’m about to die”, “this is it”, I closed my eyes as we hit the power pole, the car swung around to face the road. I looked to Kate to see if she was okay, that was all

that mattered to me, I wanted to know that my best friend wasn’t hurt. Within two seconds I saw the power pole falling, falling on top of us, so quick, it happened so fast. The pole fell right the centre of my car. I felt the glass break all over my face. Without thinking I yelled, “RUN”. I didn’t know if Kate had been hit by the pole, I could only hope she was unharmed.

I jumped out of the car to see sparks everywhere, wires all over the ground, but I just ran. Three steps and I stepped on a solid black power line, the electric shock happened very fast, and it was like a small electric shock times a million.

It was blank from then on, until I lay on the grass further down the road with my hand being held tight by my best friend. People were everywhere, I saw them taking photos. Five cop cars, one

ambulance and two fire trucks. We were taken to Wanganui

hospital, where we had many procedures. The electric shock went through my left foot and out of my chest/neck area. I walked away the day after the car accident with only

bad burn marks on my neck. We are very lucky girls. It is unbelievable we survived the crash and that we are still able to walk. The car was completely crushed. Someone was definitely watching over us and I’m so thankful to still have my best friend with me.

It’s a miracle my best friend and I survived

The only things going through my mind were, “I’m about to die”, “this is it”.

This is an edited version of a story from the Experience Project: experienceproject.com

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summary[Task] Describe this story to a friend in a couple of sentences.





Question:What is the main message in this story? Why do you think this story was included here?


Questions:How could the driver have prevented this accident? How could Kate have prevented this accident? How do you think the driver and Kate’s behaviour might change next time they want to change the music in the car?


Questions:If they had been travelling faster in the car when they had the accident, what might have happened?


Questions:Should a driver lose their licence for having had an accident? If Kate doesn’t want to get in the car again with her friend because she had an accident, do you think her behaviour is justified?


Bringingitalltogether[Task] In your exercise book, complete the following activites related to all of the four articles.

1. Which was your favourite article and why?

2. Create a mind map to show the relationship between all the different articles related to road safety.

3. List three big issues that you have learnt about from the articles.

4. Suggest why it is important to learn about the science behind road safety and low level speeding.

Explain (summarising)


Elaborate

AbouttheCosmosmatrix

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eso u r ce

Te

Acher’s

WhatisthecosMosscienceMatrix?A learning matrix such as the COSMOS Science Matrix is a flexible classroom tool designed to meet the needs of a variety of different learning styles across different levels of capabilities. Students learn in many different ways – some are suited to hands-on activities, others are strong visual learners, some enjoy intellectually challenging, independent hands-off activities, while others need more guidance. The matrix provides a smorgasbord of science learning activities from which teachers and/or students can choose.

canIusethematrixforoneortwolessons,orforawholeunitofstudy?Either! The matrix is designed to be time flexible as well as educationally flexible. A time frame for each activity is suggested on the matrix. Choose to complete one activity, or as many as you like.

Isthereroomforstudentnegotiation?Yes! Students can be given a copy of the matrix and choose their own activities, or design their own activities in consultation with their classroom teacher.

canIusethematrixforaclassassessment?Yes! You can set up a point system – perhaps one lesson equals one point. Students can be given a number of points to complete. If they choose less demanding activities, they will have to complete more of them.

rowheading Descriptionofactivity

scientificprocedure

Hands-on activities that follow the scientific method. Includes experiments and surveys. Great for kinaesthetic and logical learners, as well as budding scientists.

sciencephilosophy

Thinking about science and its role in society. Includes discussion of ethical issues, debates and hypothetical situations. An important part of science in the 21st century.

Beingcreativewithscience

For all those imaginative students with a creative flair. Great for visual and musical learners and those who like to be innovative with the written word.

sciencetimetravel

Here we consider scientific and technological development as a linear process by looking back in time or travelling creatively into the future.

‘Me’thescientist

Personalising the science experience in order to engage students more deeply.

communicatingwithgraphics

Using images to communicate complex science ideas.

IcT Exploring the topic using computers and the Internet.

Whatdotherowheadingsmean?

1.readandrevise 2.readandrelate 3.readandreview

Designed to enhance student comprehension of information.

Gives the student the opportunity to apply or transfer their learning into a unique format.

Involves the more challenging tasks of analysing, and/or assessing information in order to create and express new ideas and opinions.

Whatdothecolumnheadingsmean?


1.readandrevise–oneortw

olessons2.r

eadandrelate–threeorfourlessons3.r

eadandreview–fourorfi

velessons

scientific

procedureC

onduct an experiment to find out w

hich kind of seatbelt is the safest, a lap only, a lap sash, or a full harness. See Experim

ent 1.

Choose one of the experim

ental activities you undertook in the circuit of activities, such as how

lack of friction affects stopping tim

e or whether the speed of a car affects its stopping tim

e, and im

prove your methodology so that you can conduct a properly

controlled scientific investigation. Use any extra m

aterials you m

ay need. A tem

plate is provided for this investigation. See Experim

ent 2.

Design, conduct and w

rite up an experiment that dem

onstrates: Energy =

½ m

v2

In other words, how

2x speed gives you 4x longer braking distance

sciencephilosophy

A teenager w

ith a second hand car has just won $1,0

00

and w

ants to spend it on his car. Would it be safer for

him to upgrade the quality of his tyres so that they have

better grip, or tint his window

s so that people cannot see in?

Car and m

otorbike racing is inherently dangerous for drivers, their crew

and the spectators, with m

any injuries and deaths being recorded over the history of the sport. W

hy do you think hum

ans pursue such dangerous careers and pastimes? W

hat is it in hum

an nature that is attracted to a sport even though it has been responsible for its fair share of tragedy?

Physics has shown that bull bars can increase the dam

age to both pedestrians and passengers in a car during a crash. T

his is because they make the crum

ple zone of a car less effective. Som

e countries have banned bull bars on four-w

heel drives. Should Australia do the sam

e? Research the authentic arguments

for and against bull bars in metropolitan areas. C

omm

unicate your opinion as a letter to the editor, a blog or any sim

ilar format. You could also conduct a class

debate to expose the issues proposed by both sides of the argument.

Beingcreative

withscience

Design a road safety poster or bill board to show

the dangers of low

level speeding.If you double the velocity of a car you quadruple the stopping tim

e. Com

e up with a creative w

ay to visually show drivers how

this w

orks.

If style and money w

ere no object, design a safety car with internal and external

features that would reduce the am

ount of injuries to the passengers after a collision. C

onsider how the kinetic energy from

the impact could be converted

or transferred to the car rather than to the occupants of the car. Ideas to consider: changing the length of the crum

ple zone of the bonnet, the position and size of airbags.

sciencetim

etravelC

an you imagine a future w

ithout car accidents? Why or

why not?

Watch this silent film

of a 1921 grand prix car race.w

ww

.youtube.com/w

atch?v=_g2M

fj_dCn8&

feature=related

How

many dangers for the driver and spectators can you spot?

How

is the car unsafe? Com

pare to footage of a modern-day

grand prix race if you need to.

Write a dialogue betw

een two passengers in the back seat of a sm

art car with

the new D

edicated Short Range Com

munication (D

SRC) capabilities. T

he one passenger is explaining to the other how

it works as radio signals inform

the driver of potential dangers such as slow

vehicles up ahead, fast approaching em

ergency vehicles, faulty traffic lights and roadwork hazards. Research D

SRC

technology to find out how it w

ould comm

unicate to a driver and assist them to

avoid an accident.

‘Me’the

scientistW

hat happens to you and any other passengers in the car w

hen it brakes suddenly? Why do you think this

happens?

Imagine you are a science educator. D

esign a fun lesson or class activity to explain the science behind one safety feature in a new

car, such as how airbags, anti-locking brakes, cargo barriers

or the locking action of seatbelts works. M

ake sure there is a practical activity to com

plement the theory. C

heck with your

teacher to see if you can present the lesson to the rest of the class. O

RD

esign a practical lesson to demonstrate how

Energy =

½ m

v2 w

orks.

You are a car engineer. Explain how racing cars are constructed differently to

domestic cars so that w

hen they crash, bits fly off and take the kinetic energy w

ith them so that less of the im

pact can harm the driver. W

hy can’t domestic

cars do this? Where does the kinetic energy go w

hen domestic cars crash?

Explain what kinetic energy is and how

car engineers design cars so that the kinetic energy of a m

oving car can be converted to do the least harm to the

passengers.

com

municating

withgraphics

Make a m

ind map of inform

ation in the physics of driving article.

Use Pow

erpoint, or any other graphic tool, to show the forces

acting on a car going uphill.U

se a Venn diagram

to compare road safety issues w

hen driving a 60 tonne

truck compared to driving a 1 tonne car. Include inform

ation in relation to the percentage of lane space they take up, their m

ass, acceleration time, breaking

distance, overtaking rules and speed limits.

IcT

Using Excel, tabulate the data in the graph presented in

the first article of the Explain section.A

sk your teacher to register with Scootle (if they haven’t already)

and have a go at the following learning objects:

‘Car safety check: before buying’, code T

LF ID L1367

and ‘Give m

e a brake’, code TLF ID

L52. O

R Play som

e road safety games at:

ww

w.safetym

atters.renault.co.uk/media/gam

es/index.php?id=3

Improve this tow

n by making its roads safer

OR

Road safety hangman at w

ww

.rapsforkids.com.au/w

ordguess.php

Research a range of computer applications that are designed to prom

ote road safety. W

hich do you think could be the most useful and/or the m

ost effective? Either design your ow

n road safety app or describe in detail an idea for an app that w

ould help improve safety on the road.

Elaborate


BAckgrounDInforMATIonDepending on which type of vehicle you travel in, how old you are and which decade you spent most of your time in a car, there are three types of seatbelts you could have worn. Lap seat belts, like those on aeroplanes, are worn across the lap; lap sash seatbelts are those that have both a strap across the waist and one diagonally across the chest, such as the ones we commonly use today; and a harness seatbelt has straps over both shoulders and one horizontally across the chest.

AIMTo find out which seat belt is the safest to have in a car.

MATerIAls• Rag doll (optional)• Plasticine• Cardboard box (such as a shoe box) that the doll can fit inside• String• Scissors• Masking tape• Round plastic lid (to be used a a steering wheel)• Piece of dowling (to be used as the steering column)

rIskAnAlysIs


Sharp pointy scissors

MeThoD1. Cover the rag doll with a thin layer of plasticine across the chest, head, arms and legs. Alternatively make a plasticine figure.2. Make two holes in the back of the box with the pointy end of the scissors.3. Wrap a piece of string around the waist of the doll and then through the holes in the box so that the back of the doll is attached to the box by the string ‘seatbelt’.4. Put the lid on the box or fold lid over and secure with masking tape.5. Hold the box so that the doll inside the box is facing the floor.6. Let the box go so that it hits the floor.7. Open the box and examine the markings on the plasticine caused by the impact and the seatbelt.8. Record your observations in the results table.9. Repeat steps 3 to 8 using a lap sash seatbelt on the doll.10.Repeat steps 3 to 8 using a harness seatbelt on the doll.

Experiment 1WhIchTyPeofseATBelTIsThesAfesT?

Elaborate

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resulTs

oBservATIonsAfTerheADoncollIsIon(DroPPIngTheBox)

seATBelTTyPe Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Lap

Lap sash

Harness

DIscussIon1. How was this doll and box model able to show the effects of a real head on collision in a car?2. How was this model limited in showing the effects of a real head in collision in a car?3. Which seat belt caused the least damage to the doll?4. Why do you think the other two seatbelts are used, if this one is the safest?

conclusIon In your exercise book, write a conclusion that responds to the aim and summarises your results.

Elaborate


Elaborate

BAckgrounDInforMATIonIn the TV show Mythbusters, as well as in real life science, experiments are often analysed for their ability to really answer the question that was asked in the first place. Each new attempt at an experiment tries to make the test more valid, that is, fairer. Scientists check that all variables except the one being tested are not having an effect, and that the method used will allow the research question to be answered. In school science we rarely have time for this.

Choose one of the experiments from the circuit of activities and have a go at redesigning it so that it will be more valid. Use any extra materials you may need.

youcanchoosefrom:Does lack of grip on the tyres affect stopping time?Do wet slippery roads affect stopping time?Does the speed the car is travelling at affect its stopping time?Does the mass of a car affect the stopping time?What happens to a pet in the back seat during an accident if they are not restrained with a seatbelt?

Fill in the template below as you plan and conduct your experiment.

reseArchquesTIon(Write the question you want to investigate below.)

AIM(Turn the research question into an experimental aim below.)To find out...

hyPoThesIs(Say what you think will happen and why.)

MATerIAls(Write a list of materials that you will use in this investigation.) • • • • • • • • • •

Experiment 2revIeWIngexPerIMenTs


rIskAnAlysIs(Identify any risks associated with this investigation. Ask your teacher to check your risk analysis before you continue with your investigation.)


MeThoD(Write instructions for your investigation here so that someone independent could follow them and carry out the exact same experiment that you did.)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Elaborate


Elaborate

resulTs(Design a table to collect the data taken from several trials. You may want to include an average of the trials).

DIscussIonAnswer the following questions in your exercise book.

1. Were your results similar to your hypothesis?2. Do you think that you answered the research question? Why or why not?3. Identify any difficulties you had when trying to bust this myth and how you overcame them.4. If there was no limit to the money, space, time and equipment that could be used to answer this research question, what method could you use?

conclusIonIn your exercise book, write a conclusion that summarises your results and responds to the aim.


Speedingcrossword

Evaluate

Across9. We need to do this to the number of road fatalities.11. When riding a bike, this must be worn.12. Talking on the phone while driving can reduce this.13. Under what age can you ride your bike on the pavement?15.This should be done to a passenger pet when travelling in a car.17.Low level speeding is up to how many kilometres over the speed limit?18. What is the speed limit outside a school at the start of a school day?

Down1.Royal ? Association2.The energy of movement3. These people can legally go above speed limit.4.Never get in the car with someone in this condition.5.The braking distance going downhill is ___________compared to uphill.6.Everyone in the car must have their own.7.A seatbelt must be worn when the car is doing what?8. When driving long distances, what should the driver take regularly?10. This can make the roads slippery and increase braking distance.14.When is it okay to throw something to the driver when in a car?15. Road safety education (abbreviation)16. What is the colour of caution on a traffic light?

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Speedingwordsearch

D O S S E N E R A W A E R R S

H N O I T U A C B E M S E H R

R O A D W O R K S I C S V A O

G I R E S P E C T H P L I Z R

I T R E B O S N O O E G V A R

V A V L N N O O N F X L E R I

E C N E C I L S R E V I R D M

W U D O T Z I K I M P A C T K

A D P C O B S L O W D O W N C

Y E A N I N O I T N E T T A E

C E E L S T A T I S T I C S H

R S I C O N C E N T R A T E C

T T T I M I L D E E P S U S G

Y B X L R Z S N G I S D A O R

C A M P A I G N S G A B R I A

Findthefollowingwordshiddenbackwards,forwards,diagonally,downwardsandupwards:air bags, attention, awareness, campaigns, caution, check mirrors, concentrate, drivers licence, education, give way, hazard, impact, reaction time, respect, responsibility, revive, road signs, road works, school zones, slow down, sober, speed limit, statistics

Createyourownroadsafetyquiza) Ask each student to call out a word related to road safety. Record these on the board. b) Each student must pick six words from the board and write a definition for each. c) Students then pick four more words from the board and write a paragraph describing them. They should highlight their chosen words in the paragraph. d) Students create a concept map showing all they have learnt about road safey and speeding using at least half the words from the board. They should show links between words and write along lines connecting words to show how the terms are related.

Evaluate


Evaluate

SpeedingindividualunitreviewWhataboutyou? Drawing

Are you a safe pedestrian and passenger in the car? How has this unit helped you understand how to be safe on the roads?

Create an image that summarised this unit of work for you.

LearningSummary Yourphilosophy

Write five dot points of things that you learnt about road safety.

What is your new philosophy about road safety and speeding? How has studying this unit of work on road safety changed your behavior as either a pedestrian, bike rider or driver? What can you do to make the road a safer place for yourself, your family and for fellow citizens?

Morequestions? Metacognition

Write three questions that you still have about road safety. Which part of this unit of study on road safety had the biggest impact on you? Why?

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Documents

RiAus PDplus low level speeding notes - Years 7-9