America's Scariest Highways

Ron61 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-26-2010, 07:02 AM

I bet a lot of you have driven on some of these highways. I have the one in California and one other.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-34359779

Ron

tcrist · #2 (**permalink**) 05-26-2010, 09:56 AM

I do not understand why they call highway 1 to the Florida Keys scariest. Nice drive, beautiful scenery and the water is so blue/green and clear. Of course it is probably black and oily now. That is a little scary.

Ralphy · #3 (**permalink**) 05-26-2010, 10:27 AM

I also don't understand why they picked highway 5.

I have driven Saddle Rd. in Hawaii I think. Cutting across the big island. Most of the drive is bordered by the Parker Ranch. They were trying to put out a brush fire from a wreck.

Ron61 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-26-2010, 10:50 AM

Sometimes I wonder how they arrive at their conclusions also. I have been on one highway that was actually far more dangerous than any other I have ever been on and it isn't even mentioned. It was a very narrow 2 lane road with some places that went to one lane and a lot of blind curves. That was one road that I would never speed on. And you would never see any sports cars or anything else racing on it. Anything above 35 MPH was just on the edge.

Ron

Jamo · #5 (**permalink**) 05-26-2010, 01:14 PM

Interesting...I've been on several of them. Angeles Crest, Nev. 50, Saddle Rd. (had to get a Jeep since most rental companies prohibit regular rental cars on it), Florida 1...only cuz it gets a bit narrow and everyone's sloshed...

Heck, any of the Sierra high passes are tougher...asspecially from a vertigo point of view...Tioga, Donner, Carson, etc.

Silverback51 · #6 (**permalink**) 05-26-2010, 01:24 PM

Journalism at it's best.

I just hope they scare everyone off of Hwy 1 this summer so I have it all to myself.

Jamo · #7 (**permalink**) 05-26-2010, 02:23 PM

You know, about once a decade or so, I've done pretty well mid-week driving south on it on the loooong way home from work in Salinas. Pretty much alone after Big Sur, and asspecially into the delicious rolling hills and flats into San Simeon after Ragged Point.

Nothing like it when you're alone (or nearly so)...assolute hell when RVs are on it.

Wayne Maybury · #8 (**permalink**) 05-27-2010, 07:26 AM

I don't know if it can be considered the scariest highway, but I would vote that the 40 through Montreal is the worst highway in North America. Firstly it is elevated with fairly steep and rediculously short on and off ramps. Some of the off ramps have traffic lights at or near the bottom which makes things more interesting. There are no shoulders so there is no place to stop in the case of a flat or other mechanical problem. In addition to no shoulders, the lanes are very narrow and heavily populated with big trucks. Of course the local Montreal drivers want to travel at double the speed limit even when it is snowing. Combine all of these factors together and you have a very dangerous road that is not for the faint of heart.

Wayne

Ralphy · #9 (**permalink**) 05-27-2010, 08:37 AM

I can think of some scary city drives...........

Ron61 · #10 (**permalink**) 05-27-2010, 10:42 AM

Ralphy,

Like riding the shuttle buss from San Francisco Airport to downtown on the sidewalks at 50 MPH until he hit the side of one of the big city electric buses. I wanted out really bad and there were 4 lawyers on that shuttle with me. They were so scared by his driving they forgot to think about suing the shuttle company until the next day. I would never ride one of that companies shuttles after that.

Ron

Ralphy · #11 (**permalink**) 05-27-2010, 10:53 AM

Ron, bus and scary do go together. Maybe a bus should be the a scary! We rode a shuttle in Chicago at the CES. Weaving through a lot, the driver bounced off two cars in one trip.

Hmmm... Boo Got Shot?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SK6_Di_3O0

Ron61 · #12 (**permalink**) 05-27-2010, 11:44 AM

Ralphy,

Until I rode that shuttle I thought the taxi drivers were really bad. Two of the lawyers were staying at the same place I was and they came over to my room to talk about that ride and see if I had ever used that service before. I told them I hadn't and wouldn't be using it again. Both of them said they had never been so scared before.

Ron

Jamo · #13 (**permalink**) 05-27-2010, 08:54 PM

City drives? Frisco taxi drivers can't be too far behind Ron's shuttle bozos.

But the one that filled my pants was the taxi driver who took us to the TJ bullring...luckily drunk on the way back to the border (that helped).

Ralphy · #14 (**permalink**) 05-27-2010, 09:17 PM

Maybe you saw Top Gear when they did a 2 hour show, The Most Dangerous Highway In The World.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBU_h_XoZUM

http://www.hotelscostarica.net/Strem...mas-peligrosa/

Ron61 · #15 (**permalink**) 05-28-2010, 08:02 AM

I saw that show and they also showed some of the cars that they had there for people to drive. One had the front suspension for one side tied on with an old inner tube. That highway would be scary to walk along and the way some of those trucks drove it is no wonder they have so many wrecks down in the canyon.

Ron

427sharpe · #16 (**permalink**) 05-29-2010, 09:32 PM

Ozark Trail, Arkansas off of I75; Very narrow, extremely twisty, and very steep and usually full of logging trucks ignoring lane dividers coming right at you. NOT a pleasant ride!

Rwillia4 · #17 (**permalink**) 05-30-2010, 12:18 AM

One of the best roads I have driven on is called white spar it comes out Prescott Az and heads Southeast. It is 40 miles of pure bliss. It is usually pretty empty and it is all about turns, turns and more turns then a 2.5 mile straight away that travels down through a canyon. When I lived there it was a Sat morning favorite, there was a sandwish shop at the end. I'm hope the AZ club has gone that direction.