2000 Seat Belt Usage Survey, September 13, 2001

The good news is that safety belt usage on municipal road systems (city streets) increased 1.07 percent. This is encouraging since more than 45 percent of all motor vehicle crashes occur on city streets, and usage on the municipal road system has consistently been the lowest of the road systems studied. In communities where usage is good, enforcement and public education must be maintained in order to improve usage further; in communities where usage is still low, enforcement and public education must both be increased. Usage on the primary system (U.S. or state highways) rose 1.01 percent from the previous year. This is also welcome news because almost half of all fatalities (49 percent) occur on the primary road system. There was a decline in interstate belt use (-1.45 percent). Despite this decrease interstate usage is still traditionally the highest of all roadway categories presumably because the longer trips, higher travel speeds and large number of vehicles cause drivers to assume there is greater risk.

Estimates of Total Fuel Consumption in Transporting Grain from Iowa to Major Grain-Importing Countries by Alternative Modes and Routes, 1985

This study measured fuel consumption in transporting grain from Iowa origins to Japan and Amsterdam by alternative routes and modes of transport and applied these data to construct equations for fuel consumption from Iowa origins to alternative final destinations. Some of the results are as follows: (1) The metered tractor-trailer truck averaged 186.6 gross ton-miles per gallon and 90.5 net ton-miles per gallon when loaded 50% of total miles. (2) The 1983 fuel consumption of seven trucks taken from company records was 82.4 net ton-miles per gallon at 67.5% loaded miles and 68.6 net ton-miles per gallon at 50% loaded miles. (3) Unit grain trains from Iowa to West Coast ports averaged 437.0 net ton-miles per gallon whereas unit grain trains from Iowa to New Orleans averaged 640.1 net ton-miles per gallon--a 46% advantage for the New Orleans trips. (4) Average barge fuel consumption on the Mississippi River from Iowa to New Orleans export grain elevators was 544.5 net ton-miles per gallon, with a 35% backhaul rate. (5) Ocean vessel net ton-miles per gallon varies widely by size of ship and backhaul percentage. With no backhaul, the average net ton-miles per gallon were as follows: for 30,000 dwt ship, 574.8 net ton-miles per gallon; for 50,000 dwt ship, 701.9; for 70,000 dwt ship, 835.1; and for 100,000 dwt ship, 1,043.4. (6) The most fuel efficient route and modal combination to transport grain from Iowa to Japan depends on the size of ocean vessel, the percentage of backhaul, and the origin of the grain. Alternative routes and modal combinations in shipping grain to Japan are ranked in descending order of fuel efficiencies.

Land & Stream Management, June 2, 2010

Iowa’s rivers are constantly shifting and changing and can be challenging places to design, construct, and maintain water trails. This section discusses aspects you will immediately encounter when developing a water trail: launches, parking areas, and trails. The intended users and expected use suggest how these amenities are designed and constructed. Water trails intended for extended families, for example, are designed differently from those intended for experienced paddlers on multi-day trips.