“When will I ever use this in real life?” is a common question posed by students.
This query is effectively addressed through the innovative “Do Math. Save a Life” curriculum, where high school students engage in utilizing mathematical skills to examine maps, bar charts, line graphs, and tables containing Idaho’s vehicle crash data. Subsequently, they formulate safety recommendations based on their analyses. Reporter Jan Neish lauded these math lessons as “life-changing.”
Developed through a collaboration between the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and a consortium of Idaho math educators, this curriculum empowers students to delve into crash data from various regions of Idaho, including their own localities. The dataset encompasses crucial details such as crash locations, causes, monthly frequencies, and regions with minimal accident occurrences. Idaho processes an excess of 26,000 crash reports annually, all of which are integrated into the data system.
By leveraging this resource, students can proffer tangible safety suggestions. For instance, at the alternative Independence High School in Blackfoot, students interfaced with municipal authorities including the mayor, a city council member, police chief, and sanitation superintendent, culminating in the presentation of seven recommendations aimed at reducing accidents within the city.
Noteworthy achievements include persuading an RV owner, whose legally parked vehicle was inadvertently causing accidents, to relocate the vehicle. Despite prior requests from law enforcement to move the RV, it was only after the students presented compelling evidence that the owner acquiesced.
The creators of this curriculum envision benefits not only for the general public in terms of driving safety but also for the participating teenagers.
Students from One Stone, a student-led private high school in Boise, shared their insights gleaned from analyzing the data. One student expressed surprise at the prevalence of tailgating as a primary cause of car crashes, vowing to maintain a safe distance while driving. Another student highlighted the revelation that a significant number of crashes result from driver errors rather than impaired driving, contrary to the emphasis placed on the latter in Driver’s Ed classes.
The genesis of this initiative can be traced back to discussions among Idaho Department of Safety (ITD) personnel on strategies to mitigate teenage car accidents. Statistics revealed that more than 20% of car crashes in Idaho involved teenage drivers, who were 2.6 times more susceptible to accidents compared to other age groups. Consequently, ITD conceptualized the integration of crash data into math lessons, prompting collaboration with Idaho math stakeholders to develop a team of educators. This collaborative effort, funded by ITD, spanned over a year and culminated in a presentation to hundreds of educators at the 2023 Idaho STEM conference in Boise.
Josie Derrick, a fifth-year teacher and Lead Math Innovator at One Stone High School, was among the curriculum creators. Derrick emphasized the importance of fostering student autonomy in learning math and making mathematical concepts relevant and engaging. She recounted the enthusiastic response of her students to the crash data lessons, noting that every student reflected on the experience as a standout moment in their learning journey.
The curriculum creators aspire to perpetuate the integration of crash data in math classes and potentially extend its application to other academic levels. While the current materials are tailored for Algebra 1/Math 1, minor adjustments could render them suitable for diverse audiences. Moreover, there are plans to expand the initiative to encompass other subjects such as civics, with driver’s education courses already incorporating the data into safety instruction.
Educators can access these comprehensive math lessons to facilitate impactful and engaging learning experiences for their students.