State Farm sponsored lesson: "Reaction Time and Distracted Driving" is a PowerPoint for primary and secondary students that discusses reaction time and the connection to distracted driving. Additionally, this lesson illustrates 3 different activities related to distracted driving that can be paired with the PowerPoint.

1. Faster Than a Speeding Bullet…
Roads, Rails and Race Cars
Reaction Time and Distracted Driving

2. What happens to a speeding bullet?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K3laXJqy8w
 What are your observations…?

3. What caused this accident?
 What may have caused this multi car wreck?
 Talk to your partner about 3 possible things that
may have contributed to the accident.
 Have you been in an accident?
 Have you seen an accident?

4. Did you know…
 What happens in the first
fatal second after a car
going 55 mph hits a solid
object?

5.  The front bumper collapses
 The grille collapses
First 1/10th
of a Second
2/10th
of a Second
 The hood crumbles and strikes the windshield
 Spinning rear wheels lift from the ground
 Fenders wrap around each other causing the
frame to stop
 The driver legs stiffen and snap at the knees

6. 3/10th
of a Second
 The steering wheel starts to disintegrate
 The steering column aims for the driver’s chest
4/10th
of a Second
 Two feet of the car’s front end is wrecked
 Rear end of the car is still moving at 35 mph
 Driver’s body is moving 55 mph

7.  Driver and passenger can experience serious injury
5/10th
of a Second
6/10th
of a Second
 Driver and passengers can continue to sustain serious injury
 Brake pedal breaks off
 Car frame buckles in the middle
 Spinning rear wheels fall back to the ground

8. 7/10th
of a Second
 Hinges rip loose all over the car
 Doors open
Last 3/10th
of the Second
 Drivers and/or passengers may have died from their Injuries

9. What can prevent an accident?
 1.
 2.
 3.
 4.
 5.

10. Objectives of Today’s Lesson:
Understand reaction time
Measure reaction time
Record appropriate data
Analyze data
Compare your reaction time to other situations
FOOD FOR THOUGHT…
How is reaction time related to distracted driving?

11. Image courtesy of iStockphoto
Reaction time
 Reaction time is a time interval
 Gun firing = stimulus
 Runner movement = response
 Time interval = how long does it take a runner to
start after the gun

12. Where is reaction time important?
 Sports: Softball, Baseball, Football, Gymnastics
 Games: Cards, Board games, Activities
 Video Games
 Physical Activity Tests
 Driving

13. Let’s Test Your Reaction Time
 Get into a Team of 2
 Test 3 times for each hand
 Record your results on lab paper
 Determine averages

14. What about Computer Skills?
 With your partner test out the computer activity
 Record your times in the data table
 Is your time the same or different?
 If different, why is your time not the same as the
ruler test?
 Try the second Computer Test
 Is it the same or different from the other
computer test?

15. Simulation Test 1
 Let’s try a driving situation
 Try to brake your vehicle and DON’T hit the
pedestrian
 You LOSE if you see the shatter screen
 You WIN if you brake before the shatter screen
appears
 Watch each video 3 times
 Record your results

16. Simulation
 Watch the simulation

17. Simulation Test 2
 Try the Simulation again 3 times
 Have a phone in your hand
 Watch the phone, dial or text during the
simulation
 Record your results…can you stop in time?

18. Summary
 What did you learn about distraction?
 What did you learn about distracted driving?
 What did you learn about your “speeding
bullet?”
 What is the message?

19. Texting and Driving….It Can Wait