Traffic barrier

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/traffic-barrier

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the related disciplines?Road safety engineering, structural engineering, materials science, transportation planning
2. Why do roads have guardrails?Guardrails help keep cars from going off the road and crashing into things that could hurt people or damage the road.
3. How do traffic barriers keep people safe?They are built to bend and absorb the car’s energy, so the car doesn’t hit hard objects and the people inside stay safer.

Errant vehicle: A vehicle that deviates from its intended path of travel, often due to driver error or loss of control.
Kinetic energy: The energy an object possesses due to its motion, which must be managed during an impact.
Crashworthiness: The degree to which a vehicle or its components (like barriers) protect occupants during a collision.