/PRNewswire/ -- The Ford Motor Company Fund and the Georgia Institute of Technology are partnering on the nation's first conversion of a traditional school bus to a hydraulic hybrid vehicle that runs on recycled biofuel. Atlanta Public Schools (APS) donated the bus for the project.
Conducted by Georgia Tech, the project is financed by a $50,000 Ford College Community Challenge Grant, one of five given annually for a student-led project that matches university resources with an urgent community need related to sustainability. This project focuses on converting existing school buses into hydraulic hybrids, which could lower greenhouse emissions and reduce transportation costs for schools.
Michael Leamy, Georgia Tech assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and his students have designed and developed the hydraulic hybrid system for the 16-passenger school bus, and its installation is nearly complete.
Students at Mary Lin Elementary School are painting "the Green Eco School Bus" green and organizing a drive to collect used cooking oil for processing into biodiesel, a renewable energy source.
"Together with Georgia Tech and Atlanta Public Schools, we are taking innovation from the classroom to the community," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "This is a noteworthy example of the types of programs we are bringing to Atlanta as part of our new Operation Goodwill partnership with local Ford and Lincoln dealers with the goal of expanding our engagement with this community."
This project includes a cost-benefit analysis of a large-scale conversion of a school bus fleet to hydraulic hybrid powertrains designed to recover lost braking energy. Leamy said, "We expect our research will lead to cleaner, more efficient school buses that will help school districts like APS significantly reduce fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions."
Atlanta Public School officials are using the project to educate the next generation about green energy. "Our students are eager to learn about new ways to care for the environment," said Brian Mitchell, principal, Mary Lin Elementary. "The Green Eco School Bus turns a theoretical concept into a fun and exciting reality that stimulates their learning."
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Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
New Research Shows One of Every Six Drivers in School Zones is Distracted
/PRNewswire/ -- As kids head back to school, new research from Safe Kids USA shows that one out of every six drivers in school zones is distracted by the use of cell phones, eating, drinking, smoking, reaching behind, grooming and reading. The study also found that unbelted drivers are 34 percent more likely to be distracted than belted drivers, afternoon drivers are 22 percent more likely to be distracted than morning drivers, and females are 21 percent more likely to be distracted than males.
The study, "Characteristics of Distracted Drivers in School Zones: A National Report," consisted of more than 40,000 observational road-side surveys conducted by local Safe Kids researchers in 20 locations across the United States. Use of electronics (such as cell phones, PDAs and Smartphones) was the leading category of distraction while driving at 9.8 percent. This is a 2.5 percent increase over a 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey that showed a rate of 7.3 percent.
"The public expects drivers to be on their best behavior when they are near schools, however the new study shows the opposite is true when it comes to distracted driving," said Moira Donahue, Director of the Walk This Way program, Safe Kids' pedestrian safety program. "With recent research demonstrating that the driving skills of a distracted driver are as bad as or worse than an intoxicated driver, the overall relevance of this study is clear. Almost one in six drivers in a school zone behaves like a drunk driver."
The finding that afternoon drivers are 22 percent more likely to be distracted is significant because throughout the year one in three child pedestrian deaths occur between 3 and 7 p.m., making afternoons the most dangerous time for children to walk. Drivers who were not wearing a seat belt were the most likely group in the study to also be driving distracted, meaning drivers engaging in one risky behavior are more likely to engage in multiple unsafe driving behaviors.
While the debate over laws governing hand-held electronic device use while driving continues, simply having a law on the books may somewhat decrease the prevalence of distracted driving. The study, which covered communities in 15 states showed that those states with laws regulating cell phone or hand-held electronic device use in a vehicle are 13 percent less likely to have distracted drivers in school zones.
"Multitasking while driving can have deadly consequences," said Donahue. "Drivers need to shut off their phones and pay attention to the road, especially in areas that are filled with children."
Safe Kids Walk This Way, a grassroots pedestrian safety initiative in more than 600 schools nationwide, is made possible through support from program sponsor FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) . Through this year-round program, children learn safe pedestrian behaviors; school communities identify the pedestrian hazards surrounding their schools; and school pedestrian safety committees and task forces lead efforts to educate pedestrians and drivers about safe behaviors, enforce traffic laws and improve environments for child pedestrians. The study on distracted drivers in school zones was made possible through a grant from FedEx.
For more information about the new report on distracted drivers, tips for drivers and pedestrians or background on the Walk This Way program, call 202-662-0600 or visit www.usa.safekids.org/wtw/.
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The study, "Characteristics of Distracted Drivers in School Zones: A National Report," consisted of more than 40,000 observational road-side surveys conducted by local Safe Kids researchers in 20 locations across the United States. Use of electronics (such as cell phones, PDAs and Smartphones) was the leading category of distraction while driving at 9.8 percent. This is a 2.5 percent increase over a 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey that showed a rate of 7.3 percent.
"The public expects drivers to be on their best behavior when they are near schools, however the new study shows the opposite is true when it comes to distracted driving," said Moira Donahue, Director of the Walk This Way program, Safe Kids' pedestrian safety program. "With recent research demonstrating that the driving skills of a distracted driver are as bad as or worse than an intoxicated driver, the overall relevance of this study is clear. Almost one in six drivers in a school zone behaves like a drunk driver."
The finding that afternoon drivers are 22 percent more likely to be distracted is significant because throughout the year one in three child pedestrian deaths occur between 3 and 7 p.m., making afternoons the most dangerous time for children to walk. Drivers who were not wearing a seat belt were the most likely group in the study to also be driving distracted, meaning drivers engaging in one risky behavior are more likely to engage in multiple unsafe driving behaviors.
While the debate over laws governing hand-held electronic device use while driving continues, simply having a law on the books may somewhat decrease the prevalence of distracted driving. The study, which covered communities in 15 states showed that those states with laws regulating cell phone or hand-held electronic device use in a vehicle are 13 percent less likely to have distracted drivers in school zones.
"Multitasking while driving can have deadly consequences," said Donahue. "Drivers need to shut off their phones and pay attention to the road, especially in areas that are filled with children."
Safe Kids Walk This Way, a grassroots pedestrian safety initiative in more than 600 schools nationwide, is made possible through support from program sponsor FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) . Through this year-round program, children learn safe pedestrian behaviors; school communities identify the pedestrian hazards surrounding their schools; and school pedestrian safety committees and task forces lead efforts to educate pedestrians and drivers about safe behaviors, enforce traffic laws and improve environments for child pedestrians. The study on distracted drivers in school zones was made possible through a grant from FedEx.
For more information about the new report on distracted drivers, tips for drivers and pedestrians or background on the Walk This Way program, call 202-662-0600 or visit www.usa.safekids.org/wtw/.
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