Car Crash Safety

Calspan Car Crash Test

If you are at all like me, you might have some concern (well, a lot of concern really) about your child getting behind the wheel of a car.  I am often frightened by the thought of my own son and daughter coming of age and going through this "rite of passage."  As they feel the exhilaration of their new found freedom, I worry that they will not embody caution and exercise restraint as they experience the power associated with exerting their independence.  This is why I decided to incorporate a car safety unit into our curriculum.  We will examine car crashes using Newton's Laws, momentum, and energy.  We will look at car safety features that are the "first line of defense" in a car crash: the seat belt.  We will conduct a laboratory investigation of different restraint systems and their ability to reduce injuries of the occupants during a collision.  We will consider new technologies that have enabled car travel to become even more safe for passengers.  We will also consider attitudes and actions around car driving behaviors by examining personal choices (wearing seat belts, driving fast, cell phone use, texting,etc.) we make while driving and reflect on the effect those choices might have.  Finally, the students will be asked to complete one of the following activities.  Any support you can offer to complete the assignment is greatly appreciated.

1.  Use transparent occupant overlays to reenact different crash scenarios and determine where the occupants might strike the inside of the vehicle if they were not restrained and what their injuries might be.

2.  Interview a doctor or chiropractor about injury mechanisms and the extent of injuries associated with crashes at different speeds.  Report your findings to the class.

3.  Interview a medical examiner about how he/she matches injuries to various impact points on the inside of a vehicle to establish seating position, use of restraints, etc.  Report your findings to the class.

4.  Talk to an insurance claims specialist or fraud investigator about insurance fraud and the cost to other policy holders.  Report your findings to the class.

5.  Go to salvage yard and look for evidence that a driver or occupant struck the windshield or inside of a vehicle.  Look for evidence of seat belt use such as damage to the belt latching system, etc.  Report on what you have found.

6.  Discuss the use of laminated safety glass for windshields.

7.  Interview a personal injury attorney about the process of seeking recovery in a personal injury case.  Detail what you find out during the interview.

8.  Research the chronology of “crumple zones” and the physics of this concept.

9.  Itemize the safety features of a modern car and a pre-1930’s car.  Present your findings.

10.  Interview an auto body repair technician about the characteristics of damaged vehicles, unibody construction, “crumple zones,” and safety features of vehicles.  Discuss the important details of your interview.

11.  Research the safety features included in race cars, i.e. NHRA, NASCAR, INDY

12.  Speak to a state legislature representative to learn about the history/impact of seat-belt laws in Ohio or research the evolution of seat belt laws in Ohio.  Report your findings.
13.  Write a persuasive paper on limiting or extending seat belt laws in Ohio.