Activity

Life (and Death) Before Seat Belts

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Did you know only 80-90% of passengers wear a seat belt in a moving car? Young scholars use clay and a cart to complete an experiment about what happens without a seat belt in a collision. The lesson includes Newton's Second Law of Motion, inertia, and the three collisions in every accident. 

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CCSS: Adaptable
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
  • Teach this in cooperation with driver's education
Classroom Considerations
  • If a laboratory cart isn't empty and available, a scooter or large toy truck works
  • Carefully select where to complete the activity, making sure not to disturb those sharing a wall
  • The fourth in a series of nine lessons
Pros
  • Provides homework questions that allows for additional practice
  • Includes extension ideas to continue the lesson
Cons
  • Document permissions do not allow for printing