# A passenger is travelling on a bus that performs an emergency stop. The passenger, who is not wearing a seat belt, is thrown forwards and hits the seat in front. Explain why the passenger continues to move forwards when the bus stops suddenly, and describe how wearing a seat belt would reduce the risk of injury in this situation.

> Eduqas GCSE Physics — 4.3 Safety in public transport · Explain · 4 marks

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. The passenger continues to move forwards because of inertia / they tend to remain in their state of motion
2. The bus decelerates / stops but no force acts on the passenger to stop them at the same rate
3. The seat belt applies a force to the passenger to decelerate them with the bus / stops the passenger moving forwards
4. The seat belt stretches / extends slightly, increasing the time over which the passenger decelerates, reducing the force on the passenger / reducing the risk of injury

## Key terms

- [seat belt](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/seat-belt)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Eduqas GCSE Physics](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-passenger-is-travelling-on-a-da286780) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.