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Teen Driving Deaths - |
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To the Problem |
Teen Driving Deaths - A National Disgrace According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), persons under 21 make up 6.4 percent of all U.S. drivers (13.0 million out of 202.8 million as of 2006), but 12.9 percent of all U.S. drivers involved in fatal collisions (7,463 out of 57,695).
This means that when a driver under 21 gets behind the wheel of a car, he or she is more than twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash as a driver of any other age would be.
The more deeply we look into NHTSA's statistics, the worse the safety performance of young drivers appears: 15.3 percent of drivers killed in U.S. crashes (3,490 out of 22,830) are under 21, and 19.2 percent of all traffic deaths nationwide (8,177 out of 42,642 drivers, passengers, and bystanders killed) resulted from crashes involving young drivers. Think about that: per capita, young drivers kill three times as many people on U.S. highways (themselves included) as other drivers do.
So many precious lives lost or ruined because of the poor driving ability of young drivers—this is a tragedy and a preventable national disgrace. John Kwasnoski, Professor Emeritus of Forensic Physics at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts, is a widely known and respected expert witness in automobile collision cases in courts throughout the United States. Beginning in the 1990s, with the aid of a grant from NHTSA, he has brought both of these career specialties to bear on America's young-driver problem.
Professor Kwasnoski started from the premise that one of the key factors in poor teen driving is a lack of life experience. New drivers, through no fault of their own, tend to overestimate how much control they have over their one- or two-ton vehicles in motion. In particular, they start out lacking the experienced driver's instinctive "feel" for required stopping distances at various speeds; and it takes them years of trial-and-error driving to develop it—if they survive!
The professor hit on the innovative concept of using police investigations of automobile crashes as a source of study data for high-school classes in physics, physical science, math, biology, and driver's education. Collecting and analyzing data about real-life or staged crashes, he reasoned, would not only be a lively and interesting way for students to master the principles taught in traditional science courses. It would also immerse them in the hard realities and dangers of driving, enabling them to develop some of the prudence of experienced drivers without having to learn it the hard way.
Using this concept, Professor Kwasnoski spent several years designing a package of supplementary high-school science instructional materials called CRASH! The Science of Collisions. Tower Publishing has the honor of having been chosen to oversee nationwide distribution of this package, which is now available both in the original format (which sells for $995.00 plus shipping) and a new version called CRASH! The Science of Collisions - Economy Edition (which sells for $295.00 plus shipping).
CRASH! The Science of Collisions
CRASH! The Science of Collisions is a package of teaching materials and lab equipment. It was designed to enhance existing courses and programs, rather than to replace or redirect them. The materials do not have to be used sequentially or in their entirety—they can be used in existing lesson plans or freely adapted according to the creativity and imagination of each teacher. The kit weighs 19 pounds and consists of four instructional modules:
The Physics module includes a textbook by Professor Kwasnoski entitled The Physics of Automobile Crashes, a Student Activities book with detailed teacher instructions for 14 exercises (broad topics include Vectors, Kinematics, Newton's Laws, Friction, Projectile Motion, Centripetal Force, Center of Mass, Energy, and Linear Momentum) and some 10 worksheet forms and items of lab equipment.
The Math module includes a Student Activities book with 8 exercises (covering Parameteric Equations, Quadratic Equations, Functions, Coordinates, Graphing, Trigonometry, Problem Solving, Statistics, Alcohol Impairment, and Algebra) and about 7 worksheet forms and items of lab equipment.
The Biology/Chemistry module includes a Student Activities book with 12 exercises (covering Human Anatomy, Alcohol Impairment, Blood Alcohol, Legal Consequences, the Widmark Equation, DWI Enforcement, and Forensics) and about 6 worksheet forms and items of lab equipment.
The general Science module includes a Student Activities book with 9 exercises (covering Newton's Laws, Properties of Materials, Energy, Crime Scene Investigation, Perception-Reaction Time, Linear Motion, and Statistics) and about 11 worksheet forms and items of lab equipment.
The price of the standard CRASH! kit is $995.00 plus $50.00 for shipping and handling. The price of the Economy Edition costs $295.00 plus $35.00 for shipping and handling. You can order either version by credit card on line HERE Alternatively, you can download an order form HERE to fill out. FAX to: 1-800-264-3870 MAIL to: Tower Publishing, 588 Saco Rd, Standish, ME 04084-6239 If you prefer, you can discuss your purchase options with Tower Publishing before ordering. Please call Barry Hilton at (800) 969-8693 ext. 20 or e-mail us at this address: BarryH@TowerPub.com.
We recognize that budget constraints can be challenging to educators who want to bring CRASH! into their classrooms. As one way of addressing that difficulty, we have added the CRASH! Economy Edition to our line of products. We also recommend that schools seek private-sector sponsors who are willing to invest in the safety of young drivers in their communities. Such businesses as banks, insurance agencies, car dealers, and real estate companies, as well as nonprofit service clubs like Kiwanis and Rotary, are ideal prospects. We invite schools to consult with Tower or call: 1-800-969-8693 ext 20 on how to find and approach local sponsor candidates. CRASH! The Science of Collisions (Economy Edition) In response to many requests, Professor Kwasnoski has developed CRASH! The Science of Collisions (Economy Edition), whcih is also available from Tower Publishing. The Economy Edition is a 9-pound kit identical to the Science module in the standard CRASH! package. It includes a Student Activities book with 9 exercises (covering Newton's Laws, Properties of Materials, Energy, Crime Scene Investigation, Perception-Reaction Time, Linear Motion, and Statistics) and about 11 worksheet forms and items of lab equipment.
CRASH! is in use in over 600 high schools and other instructional venues in all parts of the United States, and has received enthusiastic praise from both students and teachers. Funding for many of the kits was provided by commercial and other supporters who recognize the seriousness of the teen driver problem and the value of CRASH! in working to alleviate it. Also important is the endorsement of Professor Kwasnoski's CRASH! concept by academic reviewers. Economy edition of Crash! materials include: 4 steel tape measures 2 100 ft fiberglass tapes 8 digital stop watches Exemplar lamp Road templates Forensic lamp photos Measuring scales Student chronoscopes 2 Investigator CD’s Model cars Student worksheet masters Teacher Manual of Student Activities The Original Crash! materials include: Model cars and road templates Forensic lamp evidence New lamp bulb for comparison Teacher's manual Court animation videotapeImpaired driving tests videotape 100 ft fiberglass measuring tape Electronic stopwatch The Investigator software
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