If You Breakdown Here…Be Prepared To Wait

Getting into an accident or having a breakdown is never fun, but in most cases you can call a tow truck or the police and get on with your life. Unfortunately there are a few places out there that make getting back on the road much more inconvenient. If you have the bad luck of breaking down on one of these roads you could be stuck for hours before you get the help you need. Here is a quick look at just a few of the worst places in the United States to breakdown or have an accident:
The Loneliest Road – This road stretches from Ely to Fernly on Highway US 50 in Nevada. It is 287 miles long and passes through nine tiny towns and only a few gas stations exist. Life Magazine nicknamed this highway in 1986 and AAA advises motorists to avoid this road if they are not confident in survival skills. It is very easy to drive for hours without passing another vehicle so if you have a break down, be prepared to wait. If you are braving The Loneliest Road be sure to carry survival supplies.
James W. Dalton Highway – This gravel road in Alaska is 414 miles long and is one of the most dangerous roads in America. It originates around Fairbanks and runs to Deadhorse close to the Artic Ocean. While it is open to the public, it was originally built as a supply road for the Alaska Pipeline and is still mostly used by commercial supply trucks. There are no medical or other public facilities along the entire road. Gas is only available at two spots and cell phone coverage is non-existent. You will be waiting a long time for help if you have the misfortune of breaking down on this road.
I-70 in Utah – This interstate highway runs from Cove Fort, Utah all the way to Baltimore. Most sections of this highway are serviced but a few parts of it are very desolate. The 107-mile drive between Salina to Green River in the Utah desert has no services whatsoever. Cell phone reception is spotty at best and if you break down halfway between the two towns, the tow truck will have a 54-mile drive just to get to you.
Rush Hour Traffic – New York – While it will be easy to call for help, there is a good chance the tow truck will still take a long time to reach you. While rush hour traffic can be horrible in a many cities, New York really stands out. INRIX, a leading provider of traffic information found that New York has 5 of the 10 worst interchanges. The Cross Bronx, which comes in at number one, has an average speed of only 11.4 miles per hour. Exit 4B on this road backs up traffic for a whopping 94 hours every week.
Tunnels – If you happen to break down in a tunnel you will probably be waiting for awhile before you get out, especially if it is a long tunnel like the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado or the Lincoln Tunnel in New York. The Lincoln is 1.5 miles long and runs under the Hudson River. It has taken a painful 3.5 hours to clear accidents from this tunnel so you could be in for a huge wait if your car stops running here.
Breakdowns and accidents are always stressful but having an incident on one of the roads is sure to make your bad luck even worse.