Highway signs make it easy for road-trippers to know when the next rest stop is coming up, but they can’t tell you how busy it is.
A new app developed by a Maryland company can do that.
Annapolis-based Trip Routing Technologies has developed the RestStopsAhead app, which alerts drivers to the average daily crowd size of rest stops located ahead on the route. Crowded rest stops can increase the chances of contracting an airborne virus, such as COVID-19 and RSV, the company said.
The app also lists what amenities the upcoming rest stop has.
“This innovative look-ahead feature informs the driver of rest stop attributes beforehand so they don’t have to stop to find out. Otherwise, if the rest stop does not have the services needed, not only would this be an unnecessary time loss, it can throw the entire road trip off kilter,” said Tom Bouve, partner at Trip Routing Technologies.
The app provides turn-by-turn directions to rest stops as well as final destinations. It also compares alternative routes to destinations.
The app can be downloaded as a free trial.
Trip Routing Technologies creates a number of add-free app products focused on travel tools and highway service providers. Bouve is a veteran Department of Transportation researcher.
