What happens to vehicles and their occupants in crashes is determined by science. "You can't argue with the laws of physics," says Griff Jones, an award-winning high school physics teacher who goes behind the scenes at the Institute's Vehicle Research Center to explore the basic science behind car crashes. Using a series of vehicle maneuvers on a test track and crash test footage, Jones explains the concept of inertia, the relationship between crash forces and inertia, momentum and impulse, and much more.

---

"The video 'Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics' and accompanying teacher's guide are wonderful. The pacing is excellent, the coverage fascinating, and most importantly, the physics is correct. It's a first rate teaching package. I give it five stars!"

Paul G. Hewitt, the developer of the "Conceptual Physics" curriculum and author of the best selling text book by the same name

---

Additional materials for teachers are included.

This DVD is available on its own or in a 2-disc bundle with "Understanding Car Crashes: When Physics Meets Biology."

Why do some crashes produce only minor injuries? How can a single crash of a car into a wall involve three separate collisions? Award-winning science teacher Griff Jones returns to the Institute's Vehicle Research Center to answer these questions and to examine the laws of nature that determine what happens to the human body in a crash. Jones reviews levels of organization in the body and explains how body cavities house and protect major internal organs. Through creative experiments, he explores how the third collision can cause injuries to organs, demonstrates how shockwaves can damage tissue and describes what happens at the cellular level.

Additional materials for teachers are included.

This DVD is available on its own or in a 2-disc bundle with "Understanding Car Crashes: It's Basic Physics."

Getting a driver's license is a rite of passage for teenagers, but it also marks the start of their most dangerous years on the road. Teen drivers have much higher crash rates than adults. Fortunately, there are ways parents can help reduce the risks. This video highlights the stories of three teens whose lives ended too soon and examines common factors such as inexperience, immaturity and speeding that lead to many crashes involving young, novice drivers. Institute experts describe the crucial role parents play by enforcing their state's graduated licensing laws, establishing their own rules and providing plenty of supervised time behind the wheel.

Hundreds of children 12 and younger die in passenger vehicle crashes every year, and tens of thousands are injured. Parents can reduce the risk by properly securing their children in the back seat. This video helps parents choose the right kind of restraint for a child's age and size and provides general information on installation and use. Topics specifically addressed are rear- and forward-facing restraints, booster seats and use of adult safety belts with older children.

The best way to reduce the risks in the event of a crash is to make sure everyone in the vehicle is effectively restrained. This video uses crash test footage to show how to get the most from occupant restraints. For example, it shows how to buckle up properly and why you should sit back from the steering wheel and airbag.

More than 1 in 4 deaths on U.S. roads involves hitting a hazard along the roadside, not another vehicle. In this video, experts explain which roadside hazards are the worst and how to alleviate them.

People are becoming more responsible about how they use alcohol in relation to driving. Still, there's plenty of alcohol-impaired driving left. Too many people are dying. This video focuses on a range of effective measures to reduce the problem.

When motorcyclists crash, the results can be disastrous. This is especially true in the case of brain injuries. This video illustrates the consequences of riding without a helmet.