The Allstate Foundation Teams Up With Scientific Social Solutions to Launch CRASH! The Science of Collisions Program in New York State

Educational Program Teaches Driver Safety to High School Students Using Math and Science to Reconstruct Actual Motor Vehicle Accidents

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 -- The Allstate Foundation announced today the launch of the Scientific Social Solutions (S3) CRASH! program in New York State. CRASH! The Science of Collisions, is an educational program that uses automobile crashes as a basis for teaching physics, physical science, biology, math and driver's education topics to high school students.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the CRASH! program to high schools across New York State," said NY Allstate Foundation Spokesperson Kelly Costanza. "This program not only brings invaluable applied science lessons into the classroom, but the residual safety message of the CRASH! program is so important to young and inexperienced drivers."

Designed in 2002 by Professor John Kwasnoski, one of the country's leading experts on motor vehicle crash reconstruction, the CRASH! program directly engages students in the learning process through real-world problem solving. Students use actual police reports from traffic accidents to solve a mystery using mathematics and science.

"What makes the CRASH! program so effective is that it addresses safety issues in the context of science and math," said Kwasnoski "Its effectiveness in changing teenage risk-taking attitudes is profound."

Students do more than just listen to lectures or view demonstrations - they actively calculate things like how far a car going 45 mph will travel while its driver looks away from the road for two seconds, or how fast a car was traveling before the driver hit the brakes. Students gain a genuine understanding of the implications and consequences of speed, inattention, and alcohol; an understanding that has been demonstrated to modify their behind-the-wheel behavior.

The S3 CRASH! program was first introduced into the Rhode Island Public School System in 2002. Following its inception, Rhode Island traffic safety officials observed astonishing results. Between 2003 and 2006, the state noticed a dramatic 55 percent decrease in fatal car crashes involving 16-20 year-olds.

The Allstate Foundation started to deliver the S3 CRASH! Kits to 50 high schools in Nassau County and New York City, and will distribute an additional 178 kits to high schools throughout Erie, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, and Oswego counties over the coming months.

For more information about the Allstate Foundation's S3 CRASH! program, please visit www.scientificsocialsolutions.org.

About The Allstate Foundation

Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation. Allstate and The Allstate Foundation sponsor community initiatives to promote "safe and vital communities"; "tolerance, inclusion, and diversity"; and "economic empowerment." The Allstate Foundation believes in the financial potential of every individual and in helping America's families achieve their American dream. For additional information, visit www.clicktoempower.org.

About Scientific Social Solutions (S3)

Scientific Social Solutions (S3) is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to expanding young people's interests and skills in science and mathematics through the creation and dissemination of state-of-the-art programs and materials, and to offer educational services and opportunities to young people in the areas of safety, health, and technology. For additional information, visit www.scientificsocialsolutions.org.

Want more information? Search the web!

Search The Auto Channel!

Search 1,043,125 pages