Young+Adults

Finland & Spain
This assignment shows how even a small increase in speed will increase the distance a car will travel in emergency situations and the speed at which it hits a target on the road.
 * Residual speed**

__Learning Goal:__ The point of this example is to show how a small increase in speed will dramatically increase the stopping distance of a car and thus the velocity – residual speed – at which a target is hit. The term residual speed refers to the velocity at which a target is hit despite hitting the breaks as quickly as reaction speed allows. This assignment takes into account both the reaction speed (estimated 1 second) and the braking distance of a car travelling at various speeds.

__Learning methods:__ Teaching methods should include more than mere factual information. The learning experience should include something that creates observations, experiences and takes advantage of multiple learning methods. Demonstration refers to all those methods that can deepen the learning, concretize the topic or concepts, support understanding, remembering and uphold learner attention and increase their interest.

__Learning time:__ 15 minutes

__Learning environment:__ Closed area, field or driving course.

__Description of the assignment:__ Two cones will be placed on the sides to the driving track to mark the spot where the driver will start braking. The car will be driven at 40 kph and the braking will start at the cones. After the car has stopped a soft big cone will be positioned on the road just in front of the car – representing a human being.

The cones representing the start of the braking are moved 3 metres towards the “human” cone. This is because of the reaction time of 1 second used in this experiment – a car travelling at 40kph will travel about 11 metres during one second, while a car travelling at 50kph will travel about 14 metres in the same time.

The car will start again at the beginning of the track and drive at 50 kph. The driver will start braking when it reaches the cones on the road. The driver and observers will notice that the car will not stop before the “human” cone, but will hit it at a relatively high velocity. The residual speed is the speed at which the target is hit.

The learners observing the experiment should keep their eyes on the human cone when the driving is done – not the car - to ensure that they all see how fast the car travels when it hits the “human” cone.

The speed of the car can be proved either by observing the speedometer inside the car, or with the help of a speed camera. In this example, the car travelling at the velocity of 50kph will hit the target at the velocity of 37kph. This is because a car will not decelerate linearly when the breaks are applied and most of the deceleration will happen at the very end of the braking event.

The assignment should be finished with a discussion of how much even a small increase in speed will increase the residual speed of a car. This is especially relevant in city traffic, where people tend to drive a little bit faster than the speed limits would allow. It is also useful to point out that the residual speed of the car travelling at 50kph was almost as high as if the car travelling at 40kph had not braked at all and had hit the target at full speed! Think about this when you next approach a zebra crossing.

Youtube links: @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVeI6TCRj8s

@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzRt9e1hJiY


 * Anticipatory Regret (12-30 yrs)**

__Learning objectives:__ The learning objective is to teach students to think about the consequences of their actions

__Learning methods:__ Anticipatory regret is a method to teach effectively some issue that is generally or morally reprehensible.

__Required time:__ Depends on the number of issues and students.

__Learning environment:__ A classroom or any other peaceful setting.

__Description of the assignment:__ The topic to be taught can be any morally or otherwise reprehensible deed that causes regret. Carrying out this assignment requires the teacher to be able to convincingly describe the situation that sets the ground for the discussion. An example could be given of drunken driving with two follow-up questions:

//Story: ”Imagine that you are going out with your friends on a Friday night. You don't have a car of your own, so you borrow your father's. The night passes very nicely and your friends enjoy wine and beer. You drink a little bit as well, at your friends' urging, but less than the others since you are the driver. After a long night, sometime in the early morning hours, you wind up in an accident where you run over a pedestrian on a zebra crossing. The car gets some damage and the windshield cracks. The pedestrian is seriously hurt. The police tests your breath and finds that you are over the prescribed alcohol limit.”//

Question 1: ”Imagine what you would feel like on the next morning, telling your parents about the pedestrian and the car and how and why everything happened.” Question 2: ”How do you make sure that you will not wind up in such a situation?”

The goal of the story and the questions is to create a genuine feelings of regret for the students – feelings that they do not want to feel again in the future. The questions can also strengthen the meaningfulness of the decisions that the students will make in the future.

**Safety seats in cars**
__Learning goal:__ Information to future parents about the importance of traffic safery and safety seats in cars, as well as their correct use.

__Learning methods:__ It is not enough to teach theory; the teaching as to include something that creates experiences and draws emotions from the learners. Demonstrations refer to all those ways in which learning can be deepened, made more concrete, support understanding and remembering and uphold the learners' motivation etc.

__Learning time:__ 20 minutes for theory + 40 min for practice

__Learning environment:__ Space that allows for a computer and a data projector as well as a car and samples of safety seats and equipment for children of all ages.

__Description of the activity:__ The theory opens with a description of an imaginary situation that can be used as a starting point for the conversation and opinions on what would have been the right way to act. This is followed by description of the requirements of the law and advice on how to correctly use different kinds of safety equipment. Also a description of the variety of safety equipment that is available, if everything cannot be brought into the classroom for show.

After the theory, the students will be taken to the car to practice the installation of safety seats and safe behaviour in cars:
 * pregnant mother and safety belt use
 * baby in a safety crib
 * a child on a safety seat
 * youngsters and safety belts