The content of the article:
- America's most extreme roads
- Highway I-26, South Carolina
- Highway 2, Montana
- Highway I-95, East Coast
- Route 99, California
- Highway I-4, Florida
- Interstate I-4, Nevada
- Tail of the Dragon, Appalachian
- Moki Dugway, Utah
- Dalton Highway, Alaska
- Red Mountain Pass, Colorado
The American highways, widely celebrated in Hollywood films, appear perfectly flat, deserted and romantic. Are the roads in the USA really so beautiful and ideal?
America's most extreme roads
In this country, they really carefully monitor the coverage on the roads of any level, preventing accidents. However, this mainly applies to toll highways, while many free ones become heroes of anti-ratings by the number of car accidents. So, in 2018, the death rate on America's roads surpassed the indicators of the entire previous decade.
1. Highway I-26, South Carolina
The construction of the highway began in 1957, and almost immediately after the opening, it began to provoke 2 accidents every month, taking human life with it in every second. From 2000 to 2010 alone, it took the 325 people killed in 286 car accidents.
What is so terrible about this apparently unremarkable road that it causes twice as many deaths than any other, even more crowded track? Due to the specifics of the terrain, deep ravines and ditches run on both sides of this road, while the roadway does not have a single protective fence. Thus, any dangerous maneuver, a trip in bad weather or a beginner's negligence - and the car ends up in a ditch, from which not everyone can already get out.
2. Highway 2, Montana
The beautiful mountainous state of Montana, teeming with rock formations, impenetrable forests, rivers and plains, is notorious for the highest road fatalities, including on Route 2.
This freeway runs through the most remote corners of the state, going from flat flatlands to extreme mountain serpentines, and then diving into thickets.
Since the state is one of the least populated in America, rare motorists do not limit themselves in speed, trying to overcome the scenic, but dangerous track as soon as possible.
However, they forget that in the event of an accident, most often the fault of which is the driver who has lost control of the bends, the ambulance crew will need at least an hour and a half to drive the hospital in this unpopulated region. Therefore, desperate motorists have very little chance of salvation.
3. Highway I-95, East Coast
America's longest highway connects 15 states and crosses the country from north to south. This is a high-speed highway, on which there is no slow-moving transport, and the maximum speed is determined by the authorities of a particular state. Stops on it are prohibited and are permissible only in exceptional cases at special sites, including observation sites, equipped in especially picturesque places.
Due to the width of the curb of only one meter, even emergency stops in the event of a machine breakdown are technically impossible. Therefore, going on a journey along this route, the driver must be confident in his vehicle.
The highest speeds, the specifics of the design of the highway itself, as well as the weather conditions of the US East Coast make this road extremely dangerous. So, more than once in this region recorded the "Storm of the Century" - a squall wind, snowfall, ice, heavy downpour, during which the track collects the "harvest" of two or three dozen human lives.
The high popularity of this road, combined with the above factors, explains the sad statistics of 2,000 accidents annually, of which at least 3-4 dozen are fatal.
4. Route 99, California
Another equally popular highway connecting California with Washington. It has a very high-quality coating, is always kept in perfect condition, does not run over difficult terrain. Why is it one of the most extreme?
The first reason, again, can be called the human factor, since American drivers are not inclined to observe the speed limit on deserted roads.
In addition, the track is replete with steep exits, which, with frequent fogs and, in general, with very low illumination of the road, make it deadly for unwary motorists.
5. Highway I-4, Florida
The most picturesque track in the country stretches over the Atlantic Ocean and is called the Overseas Highway. It connects the island of Key West, on which military bases are located, with the sunniest state in America.
Drivers can enjoy incredible views of tropical landscapes, water elements and coral reefs along the entire 203 kilometers of the road. The movement along it provides such impressions that the trip itself is already considered a journey, the final destination of which is not so important.
Its danger is the same as beauty. The entire structure, which includes 42 bridges, is located at the epicenter of one of the most powerful natural elements - the ocean. Gusty winds that hit the track with gusts of up to 300 m / s, constant moisture that corrodes the road surface with salt, makes the crossing one of the deadliest in the country.
More than once she experienced catastrophic "attacks" of hurricanes - Irma, Floyd, Rita - that caused emergency evacuation of people, panic, kilometer-long congestion, which led to the fact that cars were thrown off numerous bridges of the highway.
6. Highway I-4, Nevada
Everyone associates Las Vegas with an endless holiday, but outside of it there is a huge cruel desert, the crossing of which can be called an extreme adventure.
A ride in the desert is comparable to some kind of vacuum - it hides distances, it deprives you of the sense of time, it distracts you from speed control. This condition is especially dangerous at night, when, in the absence of any lighting and obstacles along the road, the driver is left alone with pitch darkness and the road.
Over the past decade, this route has claimed more than a thousand lives of drivers who relaxed too much, believing that nothing dangerous could happen in the desert. However, the road consists of real jumps, overcoming which, cars take off on the side of the road and turn over.
Finally, the trip is complicated by weather conditions, as the hellish heat can be just as rapidly replaced by a heavy downpour or a sandstorm, depriving the remains of visibility and control.
7. Tail of the Dragon, Appalachian
"Dragon's Tail" is the name given to the 18-kilometer mountainous section between North Carolina and Tennessee, which is part of Route 129. Cars passing here are on the verge of death due to 318 corners, overcoming which it is impossible not to pull over to the side of the road, not sometimes dodge the oncoming lane.
This road was not intended for traffic, only Cherokee Indians moved along it until the 30s of the last century. Then locals gradually began to master it, followed by tourists, and now it is a favorite test for automobile extremists.
Each kilometer of this route can "boast" of a lethal outcome, but the eighth kilometer is considered the most deadly - the width of this section of the road is such that even a compact truck unwittingly occupies both lanes. Therefore, if an oncoming car turns out to be on the bend, the collision cannot be avoided.
8. Moki Dugway, Utah
Utah is often compared to Mars because of its reddish sands and specific relief.On this territory forgotten by God, there is a highway that is included in all ratings of the most dangerous roads in the world.
Moki Dagway was built for the needs of miners who transported uranium ore to the processing plant. Now it has become a favorite tourist attraction due to the beautiful views on both sides of the road, but you need to watch them very carefully.
The road can surprise a motorist with absolutely everything - a crust of perfectly smooth ice, a landslide, a sandstorm, huge puddles and even complete flooding.
The weather conditions in this region are such that everything here can be covered with ice overnight, which, in the presence of sunlight, will begin to melt, penetrate into the rock, causing its destruction and landslides. Fascinated by the landscape, tourists realize the impending danger too late, becoming either hostages of the blockage or its victim.
9. Dalton Highway, Alaska
The Dalton Highway is not only one of the most extreme, but also the most isolated road in the world. Its length is 660 meters, passing through the heart of Alaska, crossing the Arctic Circle and finishing in the permafrost.
The road was also not intended for regular traffic - it was built as a temporary solution to transport construction materials for the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
For 20 years the road was used only for commercial purposes, until it was opened for traffic in 1994. Crossing protected forests, where you can meet hares and deer, bears and elks, it attracts many tourists and just romantics.
But driving along it is an extreme pleasure, because not only is it half asphalt and half dirt, it is also covered with a thick layer of ice.
Given the many steep ascents and descents, rental offices do not even provide a car if a tourist purposefully sets out on a trip along this route.
10. Red Mountain Pass, Colorado
A 40-kilometer road hiding in the mountains was built in 1880 to lead to the spring. Now it passes more than 750 thousand cars annually, of which 20-30 die on an extreme highway.
The danger here is represented by the cliffs along the road, from which not a single protective structure has been installed. They are complemented by sharp turns, steep climbs and descents, as well as landslides that bury cars alive.
The avalanches that occur here rush at a speed of over 320 km / h and a pressure of 2 tons per square meter, as a result of which the passage through the Red Mountains Pass is blocked for six months. Several dozen workers have been raking ice and rocks from the landslide for months to clear the road.
Conclusion
The degree of danger of roads largely depends on the specific state, as well as the region where the highway passes. Based on the statistics obtained, the analytical agency revealed a pattern - the most extreme roads are in the south of the country, while in the northeastern and northwestern states, drivers practically do not get into accidents.
This is due to the large number of rural roads with a wide speed limit, poor visibility due to the relief, an abundance of trees and telephone poles.
Finally, the danger of American roads lies in their sheer size. Whatever happens to the driver and his passengers, the nearest settlement in general, and large enough to receive help, can be located a hundred kilometers away. And communication on almost all such suburban routes is either absent altogether, or is so bad that it makes it difficult to call rescue services.
