2

p257

Use and influence of science

Car safety features

Figure
7.1.10 A crash test in motion.

An average 1.2 million people around the world die in road deaths each year, with
another 50 million suffering related injuries.

ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment
Program) provides information to consumers about
the level of protection afforded by all new cars on
the market. A system of star ratings, from 1 to a
maximum of 5 stars, is used to indicate how safe a
car will be in an accident.
If a car stops suddenly, its passengers continue to
move forward until they hit something that stops
them. If they stop by hitting the windscreen,
dashboard or steering column at this speed, they can
be seriously injured or killed. Crash testing helps
develop safer cars and inform consumers of the
safety rating of new cars on the market.

science
Starting and stopping
What happens to your body as a car
starts and stops?
Collect this …
• a skateboard or toy truck
• a petri dish or jar lid
• masking tape
• a marble
fun
Do this …
1 Tape the petri dish to the skateboard or toy truck.
2 Put a marble or ball bearing in the dish.
@LZ 3 Observe what happens to the marble when you
push the skateboard/truck forward, stop it, or
push it around a corner.
Record this …
Describe what happened to the marble in each case.
Explain why you think this happened.

Forces 249
 Figure 7.1.11 illustrates some of the active and
passive safety features found in many new cars. Before safety shell
Active safety features are designed to reduce the
chance of an accident. They include:
• good quality tyres inflated to correct pressure
• functioning headlights
• an effective braking system
• reversing cameras
• reversing sensors After safety shell unchanged
• ABS (anti-lock brakes)
• traction control crumple crumple
zone zone
• ESC (electronic stability control)
• night vision
• brake assist.
Passive safety features lessen the possible The passenger shell of a car is usually
Figure
made from steel to protect its passengers.
damage to the occupants of a car in an accident. 7.1.12
The engine compartment and the boot,
They include:
however, are designed to collapse in a
• correctly adjusted three-point seatbelts and collision. This increases the time the car
seatbelt reminder lights takes to come to a stop, which reduces the
• front and side airbags force of the impact.
• crumple zones (shown in Figure 7.1.12)
• side impact protection systems
• no sharp features protruding from the
dashboard of the car.

Front and side curtain

Reversing sensors/
reversing camera:
help a driver reverse
the car safely
airbags: help protect the Seatbelts: restrain passenger
head in a collision motion in a collision
Crumple zones: car
bonnets and rear are
designer to crumple
upon impact

ABS (Anti-lock
brakes):
Electronic stability control:
enables the Brake assist: detects
Traction control: detects when driver has
driver to steer when a driver has not
system that can stop lost control of the car and
while braking applied enough pressure
a spinning wheel assists the driver to regain
heavily in an emergency and
control
adjusts brake pressure

Figure These are some of the active and passive

7.1.11 safety features that can be found in a car.
2 7.2
p254

250 PEARSON science

 Inertia and Crashes Year 7 Science

Inertia and Crashes

1. Read the Science as a Human Endeavour excerpt on Car Safety Features.

2. Explain how inertia impacts on the motion of an object.

3. How can inertia be fatal or cause severe injuries?

4. Explain the difference between active and passive safety features.

5. Name four preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of an

accident.

6. Name four safety features to reduce the impact of an accident.

7. Explain what the crumple zone of a car is. How does it help to reduce
impact force?
 Inertia and Crashes Year 7 Science

8. The TAC is responsible for many ad campaigns around road safety.

Read their website entry on seatbelts here:

https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/staying-safe/seatbelts

a) What does TAC stand for? What is their role?

b) When did Victoria first implement seatbelt laws? By how much did
injuries decrease?

c) Which seatbelts are most effective at stopping inertia?

d) Where can you check the safety of your car?

9. Watch this video about the implementation of seatbelt laws.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pormYjiNbA

Why were people initially against seatbelt legislation? Is this surprising

to you? Discuss how attitudes about seatbelts have changed over the
years.