A Look at Dangerous Roads and How to Stay Safe While Driving Them

We all have those specific roads that we avoid when driving—whether they be certain turns outside of our neighborhood that make us nervous or roads that have nasty nicknames due to the risk they pose, everyone has at least one alternate route they try to avoid. Most of these are local roads that pose few or infrequent threats, such as roads whose sightlines are disrupted during certain times of the year and those with large potholes, but some are a bit more threatening.

Not only will this article cover some of the most dangerous roads in the United States, but we’ll also provide some safety tips to help you stay safe when you do have to drive them. Hopefully, our advice and your driving and decision-making skills will help you with keeping a safe distance from roads with bad reputations.

I-95

Interstate 95, also called I-95, is frequently labeled the most dangerous highway in the United States, which may seem strange until you see the road’s length and route. It starts up in Maine and doesn't end until it’s sitting deeply into Florida. The distance alone will lead to it having a higher number of vehicle crashes, but that’s not the only reason for its danger; it also travels along the east coast and travels from north to south. As a result, it takes drivers through a wide variety of climates. 

The rain, heat, and humidity that’s often associated with Florida and Georgia leads straight into the Carolinas. South Carolina tends to be hotter, while North Carolina tends to be very wet. Moving into the northern states with milder spring and summer temperatures may seem like a blessing, but you quickly run into trouble as fall gives way to winter. 

The cold and potentially dangerous snow and ice that Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and more experience may make the southern heat a welcome change until you end up near Jacksonville, Florida, which is close to Orlando.

Million Dollar Highway, Colorado

The Million Dollar Highway in Colorado has a unique name. While no one is exactly sure where it came from, many sources claim that it spawned when someone claimed they would never take it again unless they were offered one million dollars to do so. 

While most of the San Juan Skyway loop is relatively safe, the specific stretch from Ouray to Silverton has given the entire stretch this nickname. It travels through the San Juan Mountains and Red Mountain Pass, and the views are just as you’d expect-breathtaking. However, the drive is less joyous. You must navigate tight turns on the road with few to no guardrails to protect you from the steep cliff sides. 

The road is carved into the mountains and will, therefore, endure not only the occasional rockslide but also the freezing cold winters and snowstorms the rest of the state experiences, though the ones the highway experiences are worse due to its close proximity to the mountains. If you plan on going sightseeing in the mountains, consider another route.

Interstate 5

Interstate 5 shares many similarities to I-95. It stretches from the Canadian border in Washington state down deep into California. Despite this major distance and the winter weather you may expect to find in the northern portion, the danger lies primarily in Southern California. 

The winter weather in Washington State and Oregon tends to be cold but otherwise mild, so there isn’t as much trouble to be found up there. But once you get further down Interstate 5, you quickly encounter more dangerous driving than you would typically find up further north.

California mixes a high population with tourist attractions and generally bad traffic to create a dangerous stretch of highway. San Diego, which lies along this route, experienced almost 20,000 collisions in 2019 alone.

Route 1, Florida

If you don’t like bridges, then make sure you avoid Route 1 in Florida, which is made up of both long bridges that connect the state of Florida to the nearby islands known as the Florida Keys but also run straight up along its east coast. 

Straight stretches of road are notorious for encouraging aggressive drivers to weave and increase their speed to reach their destination as quickly as possible, which is pretty much as dangerous as it sounds. The bridges provide beautiful views of the open ocean and the islands they lead to, but may be intimidating to some. 

Combine this apprehension with the aggression of some other drivers, and you have a recipe for disaster. There are ways to mitigate the danger posed by not only this road but all of the dangerous ones you may encounter in the future.

Safety Tips

There are many safety tips you can utilize while driving, such as mapping routes to avoid these roads altogether or limiting your time spent driving them. Despite your best efforts, you may still end up driving on these roads for long periods of time. In this scenario, you’re your best tool for success. Limit your distractions as much as possible. 

Keep your music or podcasts turned down and only mess with them when you’re parked. You could also have a passenger mess with it to allow you to focus on driving. Only glance at your GPS every now and then and never for more than a second or when the road is busy. Pay attention to your surroundings and stay near the speed limit. 

For some of the highways mentioned here, the biggest danger was aggressive drivers driving too fast, but there is such a thing as driving too slowly as well. Staying as close to the speed limit as possible is ideal as it ensures you aren’t driving too fast or slow. Paying attention is just as important, though, as the situation on the road can change rapidly, and you need to react quickly when it does.

Staying Safe on the Road

While these highways are dangerous, and there are many driving strategies you can employ to stay safe, there are also a few things you can do before and after driving to remain prepared. 

Create an emergency kit with tools to replace flat tires or put out fires to stay prepared for the issues you may encounter on the road. You can also call your local number to report potholes, as doing so may encourage the city or town to fix them and make the road safer. 

Some roads will always remain dangerous though, so keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel to give yourself the best chance for a safe drive no matter where you’re trying to go.