ADS Transit shuttle bus on gravel road

Automated Driving Systems (ADS) for Rural America

ADS for Rural America is a project that is testing the use of automated driving technologies on high-speed, rural roadways to examine and understand the unique needs of rural environments, while working toward solutions that improve safety and mobility.

Goals

1. Improve safety on our nation’s roadways with the integration of Automated Driving Systems (ADS). ADS technologies show promise of greater safety on our roadways by preventing crashes.

2. Represent rural roadways in AV research. Rural roads present unique challenges:

  • Sharp curves and grades
  • Limited sight distances
  • Gravel, unpaved roads without lane markings
  • Slow-moving vehicles on the road, such as farm equipment
  • Animals on the road
  • Extreme weather conditions

Due to the complexity of rural environments, most AV testing and mapping has been focused on urban, clearly‐marked roads. We're doing rural testing for rural solutions.

3. Broaden mobility: Show how automated vehicles can provide transportation options for those not able to drive, such as aging populations and those with disabilities. We aim to connect those people in rural areas to the services they need. Since public transportation is often scarce or non-existent in rural areas, mobility means independence and can significantly improve quality of life.

While 19% of Americans live in rural areas, nearly 50% of traffic fatalities occur on rural roads.

Video overview

News

LiDAR point cloud

ADS for Rural America: Lessons learned so far

Wednesday, May 24, 2023
As of fall 2022, we're more than halfway done with our 2.5-year ADS for Rural America Project. The development of any new technology requires lessons learned along the way. This article explores the lessons we have learned in the first half of this U.S. DOT-funded demonstration project.
Screenshot of webinar

ADS for Rural America Webinar 4: Data Portal recording now available

Friday, April 14, 2023
The recording is now available from our fourth ADS for Rural America webinar, this one focusing on our data portal and accessing our data.
Webinar 3 screenshot

Recording available for webinar 3: Rider and safety driver experience

Thursday, February 2, 2023
The third webinar in a five-part series will focus on rider and safety driver experience and anxiety. This webinar will be held on Thursday, February 2, at 1 p.m. central.

Subscribe

Subscribe to our email newsletter to receive periodic project updates. 

ADS for Rural America

This $7 million project is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and is spearheaded by researchers at the Driving Safety Research Institute at the University of Iowa.