3 Feb 2023
Vyankatesh Prabhudesai who founded the Aryaan Study Circle makes it a point to give the students an exposure to personalities in varied fields, to motivate them beyond the normal studies. Luminaries in the field of Aerospace, Technology, Education, Chemistry, Sports, Business, etc have addressed the students. It is therefore always a pleasure to interact with the students and share with them some of my own experiences and what has worked well for me. It was a talk titled “Enjoy the Challenge and You will Enjoy the Journey”, taking several analogies from the sports field.
But I am also thankful that VPD – as Vyankatesh Prabhudesai is fondly known to his students – has also given me a platform to share the message on road safety to the students. This year, I decided to experiment a bit. Since these are students of Std XI, I tried to incorporate a few specific changes that help them relate the Physics they learn to the different aspects of road safety. In particular:
• How a helmet is essential even at slow speeds, since the vertical fall can cause damage. And how it is effective in reducing the impulse of the force of impact.
• Blind spots are related to optics and geometry and therefore the extra caution required especially around large vehicles like buses and trucks.
• The effect of speed on a) the cone of vision b) the stopping distance and c) the energy dissipated on impact in a crash
For the last point, it was a thought experiment : if a vehicle travelling at 80 Kmph crashes, the energy dissipated causes the damage. How does one relate to the severity of this impact? Imagine the vehicle falls from a height. What is the height from which it should fall to hit the ground at 80 Kmph? It is about 84 feet => equivalent to a 8-9 storey building! And, it increases exponentially with the square of the speed. The picture on top illustrates this point.
We also did the exercise to sensitise the students that using a mobile when driving is risky.
The students had good observations about the lack of protection for 2 wheelers, jumping red lights, and driving on the wrong side of the road. One of the students had a very pertinent question about standards “shouldn’t safety standards be same for all vehicles?” he asked. This is indeed an important question. The standards for 2 wheelers will be quite different from those for 4 wheelers. We often pay attention to the other aspects of the vehicle we purchase, but safety should be high in that list. As technology evolves, and the price point reduces, the safety devices become more mainstream. There is now a push from the Ministry of Road Transport to make airbags available for all cars. It was very nice to see the level of awareness in the children and their ideas to improve safety.
I also want to thank Dr Subba Nayak. Just before my session, he shared with me the stats for Goa. The most striking information was that 67% of the fatalities in Goa are related to 2 wheelers. This is way above the national average of 45%.
Here is feedback from the students.
The session made us aware about the road safety with particular focus on accident prevention.
-Navinya Desai
The knowledge he imparted regarding road safety was informative and eye opening. Sir really integrated physics in the right way and the data he brought to us made us realize how critical the issue is. The road safety part was the best as I got to know how wearing a helmet is very important, for instance, among multiple other things that I will, from this day on, implement in my life and encourage those around me to as well
-Arjun Nair
This session has just brought the realisation that life is precious, not just ours but all whom we come across in our lifetime. The statistical data of the deaths caused on roads was quite shocking. “Not just One life is important but EVERY one is and that Each one should value not just his own life but even that of the others.” One’s life can really be saved if he/ she would wear a helmet or would use their seat belts. We should concentrate on only one thing at a time and not get distracted, for example while studying that’s all a student should do and while driving that’s all the driver should do and not talk on the mobile or do anything that would be distracting.
-Presha Rane
The detailed presentation and the precise figures helped us realize the gravity of the issue and drilled the measures that we should take to travel safely.
– Aachal Sawant
The session made us aware of the importance of road safety in our country. What made it so special for us Aryaanites was that he related it so well to the physics we learn on a daily basis providing a much clearer understanding. I have been inspired to spread awareness as well.
-Anavee Palyekar
The session gave us an insightful overview of the status and perils of road safety in India, supported by statistics. Integration of physics in road safety was something that caught my attention. He urged us to be responsible future drivers and riders. It makes me wonder, that there are so many aspects and variables to driving on a road to take care of, and one can’t afford to get it wrong.
-Jahnavi Saraswat
This lecture was an eye opener for me as well as a lot of my peers. He taught us that a healthy body nurtures a healthy mind. The second part of the lecture had us stunned as he explained the safety record on our roads. He explained the situation through graphs and practical use of physics ( which I enjoyed very much ). And in the end he made us take a pledge that we would be responsible drivers and be good citizens of this beautiful country of ours and set a standard for the future generations. This is a pledge I plan to keep.
-Shashank Kamat
In the session on road safety he explained that being a good driver is a responsibility that all of us bear and that a driver needs to be vigilant when he/she is driving. He used a little bit of physics which was really interesting and eye opening for students like us.
~ Siddhi Nagvekar
Sanjay sir talked to us about road safety and deeply inspired us by his story. I am sure that we will take all the required precautions when we start driving or even otherwise.
-Trishaa Pai Vernekar
The topic was quite a refreshing change from our usual study and college oriented topics. Road safety is clearly close to his heart, and now it resonates deeply within us as well. Now we all have a much clearer grasp of the importance of road safety and we will definitely will be more prudent in our choices on the roads.
-Nalini Gupta
Your emphasis on the significance of responsible driving and your reminder of our role as future drivers and responsible citizens, through the work of the Arundhati foundation, will stay with us always.
-Mandar Waigaonkar