The search for answers about autonomous driving is spreading out across the country.  The Ohio Department of Transportation says the state has received a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.  The money will be spent during four years to study the technology on Ohio’s rural roads and highways.  The director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, Jack Marchbanks says, “Although 97 percent of the nation is rural, and more than half of all U.S. traffic fatalities occur on rural roads, most of this testing to date in other states has been conducted in urban areas”.

They plan to focus on 32 counties in Ohio’s rural Appalachian region. With a driver in the car, automated driving systems will be tested in all seasons, day and night. They’ll also see how it works on paved and unpaved roads, as well as in work zones.

Ohio is one of three states to receive grants for this research.  The other two are Michigan and Virginia.