Fall 2006
Ms.
Hui
a Physics Webquest
The Role of Speed in Road Safety
Introduction
Modern roads
allow people to drive great distances easily and quickly. At 65 mph, cars can
take us the distance of 190 miles between
What are the
major causes of accidents on the road?
More specifically, what role does the speed limit play in reducing or
possibly contributing to the high accident rate? Would it realistic for us to remove the idea
of a speed limit and model after
Task
Meeting in groups of five, you will
research the effectiveness of the speed limit in reducing accidents. You will
investigate the physics involved in deciding how fast people can safely drive
on a specific road, through a discussion of reaction time, stopping distance, increasing the stopping time, and average
speeds. Based on your research, you will also take a stance concerning the need
for a speed limit, which should include a discussion of the possibility of
reconstructing road bumpers to be thicker in order to protect drivers in a
crash. Your group will also consider the
policy issues involved with allowing increased speed limits. In order to
complete this you will use the Public Policy Analyst which is further
described below. You must to write a 4 -
6 page paper discussing the effectiveness of the current speed limit or even
the need for any speed limit. Use the
resources links below to put together a convincing report that is supported by
data analysis. Also, check out the
THINK! Campaign that being implemented in the
-
Is there a relationship between number of accidents and speed
limit?
-
What are the current safety procedures/precautions taught to new
drivers?
-
How would an increased or decreased speed limit affect those
safety procedures?
-
How does increasing the thickness of bumpers affect the
effectiveness of the speed limit in reducing causalities?
Process
1. Using the
Public Policy Analyst, your group will research the planning and development of
highways and roads. This involves a six step process, be sure to use the
hyperlinks to view a complete of each step. There are worksheets involved in
each step, download them and fill them out as part of your research. They are to be submitted and will be
graded.
§
Define the Problem being addressed(WS)
§
Gather Evidence of the problem’s existence (WS)
§
Identify Causes of the problem (WS)
§
Evaluate Policies being currently used to deal
with the problem (WS)
§
Develop Solutions – Your ideas for dealing
with the problem (WS)
§
Select the Best Solution (WS)
2. Your group
shall have people to fill each of the following roles:
§
Group Leader- Who will organize
the group and coordinate the group’s effort. The leader also assists all other
members in completing their tasks
§
Recorder and
Secretary- Writes the results of researchers in a format that can be
presented. The Recorder keeps all research materials for the group’s use
§
Researchers- These two
will look at the websites and present the data for the groups as a whole to
analyze
§
Presenter- The Presenter
will describe the group’s findings to the class as a whole. The Presenter may
also work with the whole group in developing a format for the presentation,
which may be a chart, poster, PowerPoint, etc.
3. As part of your research you will use
the links under Resources, your understanding of 1D kinematics (speed, average
speed, distance, acceleration, deceleration, stopping distance, reaction time)
to analyze road safety in terms of speed limits.
4. The final product of this webquest is a
4-6 page paper and a maximum 5 minute presentation of your group’s
conclusions. Students may make a
PowerPoint presentation or posters to more effectively convey your analysis.
Resources
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/09.htm
http://www.driveandstayalive.com/info%20section/statistics/stats-usa.htm#bkmk_stats-usa_navbar
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSFAnn/TSF2004.pdf
http://www.nysdmv.com/stats.htm
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/enforce/shpolicy.htm
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/slowdown/slowdown.htm
http://safeny.com/spee-vt.htm
Evaluation:
YOUR SCORE WILL range from a
possible 16 points (highest) to 4 points (lowest).
Scale: A=16 B=12 C=10 D=7 F=4
|
|
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
PPA Policy Followed |
All questions
were answered completely and rationales for the answers were clearly
stated. |
All questions
were answered completely, but rationales for the all the answers were not clearly
stated. |
Not all
questions were answered completely, or greater than 2 rationales for the all
answers were not clearly stated. |
All questions
were not answered completely. |
|
Presentation |
Clear and
full presentation of the findings of the survey and the research. Presents
findings both for and against. |
Clear and full presentation of the findings
of the survey and the research with few mistakes. |
Clear and
full presentation of the findings of the survey and the research with some
errors |
Insufficient
and/or unclear presentation of material |
|
Teamwork |
It is evident
that a mutual effort and cohesive unit created the final product. |
The team
worked well together, but could have utilized each other's skills to a better
degree. |
The team had
problems working together. Little collaboration occurred. |
The final
product is not the result of a collaborative effort. The group showed no
evidence of collaboration. |
|
Paper |
The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a
high degree of knowledge on the subject of GM foods, both for and against.. |
The ideas expressed by the body of work are mostly
informative. |
The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate
lack of information. |
There was no significant information expressed in this
project. |
Conclusion
Your task is of
great importance for the State of
At the end of this webquest, you should have
gained a sense of how physics can be applied to refining the public policy
concerning speed limits. Have fun.
Standards- NYS Standards
STUDENTS
WILL HAVE PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING STANDARDS:
English
Language Arts Standards
E1c
Reads and comprehends information materials.
E2a
Produce a report of information.
Science Standard
S1d: Demonstrates an understanding of
motions and forces.
S5e: Identifies problems; proposes and
implement solutions
S5f: Works individually and in teams to
collect and share information and ideas.
S7b: Argues from evidence
S73: Communicates in a form suited to the
purpose and the audience.