Interstates safer than "Blue Highways?"TRIP UPDATE

[GizmosMom]

We are now retired and I have our summer trip to Colorado planned. We share the driving.

I want to travel the back roads and blue highways. I want to take our time. The Interstates make me nervous and they are boring.

DH wants to travel the Interstates as much as possible because he feels they are safer. He doesn't like to have to slow down and stop for traffic lights in small towns when he drives. Feels that blue highways are more prone to head-on collisions.

What do you think?

[Bumpyroad]

Belgique wrote:
IMHO, easier to get fuel on Blue Highways because you have more time to see the station and see if it is accessible. We're Blue as much as possible.

use 'the next exit" to see RV friendly stations on the interstate.
or use your GPS.
bumpy

[Belgique]

DutchmenSport wrote:
I've never heard the term "Blue Roads" before, must be a local term, kind of like the term "toboggan." In some locations it means a sled you ride on in the snow, in other locations, it means hat you wear on your head. I grew up with the "hat" definition, never knew it meant a sled until I was 24 years old!

So funny! First time my Mountain Girl wife talked about wearing a toboggan, I asked why you would wear a sled on your head? Will still joke about it all the time.

[Belgique]

IMHO, easier to get fuel on Blue Highways because you have more time to see the station and see if it is accessible. We're Blue as much as possible.

[Bumpyroad]

2gypsies wrote:
No problem with finding fuel on the two-lanes. People live there, too, along with farmers for diesel.
.

most of the midwestern farmers I know who use/need diesel fuel get it delivered and stored in a road tax free tank.
bumpy

[2gypsies1]

No problem with finding fuel on the two-lanes. People live there, too, along with farmers for diesel.

We have found some of the best campgrounds in small towns - county parks and city parks. Very reasonable rates and no reservations needed. People are friendly.

[doxiemom11]

There are lots of gas stations and even some stations set up for semi's in the small towns. Lots of Walmarts for stopping at night. There are many websites you can use to find campgrounds. Googlemaps can be used to - just put in the state - once you get the map of the state up, use the search box and ask for rv parks and camgrounds near whatever city and state you need - it will bring up anything around there - if nothing check a couple town earlier or later down the road.

[hedgehopper]

What about places to buy diesel and stay overnight on the blue roads?

[paulj]

Last time I was in northern Indiana they were putting finishing touches on an upgrade of US31. Now it is interstate standard divided highway from Indianapolis to Lake Michigan (or nearly so). My inlaws old house used to have drive way off of 31 as it left South Bend. Then it was widened to 4 lane, and their drive way was rerouted around the block. And with the latest change the house was bought up by the state.

So access to that area changed from drive way to cross street to interchange. Cars now zip by without seeing the lovely old houses, or downtown South Bend. The corn fields are off in the distance, not right next to the highway. The tollway used to be the only divided highway in the area. Now US20/31 bypass lets people zip between South Bend and Elkhart and beyond across the south side. RVs can return to their birthplace in Wakarusa (or elsewhere of IN 19) without going through either downtown. Historic Lincoln Hwy east of Elkhart is being divided (or twined to use a Canadian term).

They doing that because traffic levels are too high for safe and fast travel on conventional 2 lanes highways. And simply adding lanes in a suburban environment doesn't help when you also have drive ways, cross streets and stop lights.

2 lanes are fine across rural eastern Colorado. A bit less so across the mountains of Colorado and Washington, where trucks and slow RVs hinder traffic as they crawl up or down the grades.

People ask about alternatives to I80 across the south side of Chicago. The next highway to the south is US30, stop and go across the southern suburbs. The next option is some state numbered highway (27?) much further south. Or I70 through Indianapolis.


The pros and cons depend strongly on the alternatives in a particular area.

[profdant139]

I have had more close calls on two land roads than on the interstates. But I prefer the slow interesting roads to the faster "safer" freeways. Just because the smaller roads are less safe does not mean that they are unsafe.

For example, there are more shark bites in Florida than in California. Does that mean that if I am in Florida, I won't go in the ocean? No. The chance of trouble is still pretty small, no matter what.

On the other hand, there are situations that are just not safe --going into gator infested water in the dark (like that poor little boy in Orlando recently -- heartbreaking), or standing on a mountaintop during a thunderstorm. Those are situations to be avoided completely.

To me, the slight increase in risk on small roads is outweighed by the extra enjoyment. So when we are not in a rush, we take the scenic route.

[prichardson]

I have found that in many places the US routes are in better condition than the more heavily traveled Interstates.

[Atlee]

It's a mix for me. Personally, I prefer the "blue" highways most of the time, however sometimes the interstate makes more sense.

On our cross country trip in 2014 from Virginia to LA, California I would guess the mileage split was maybe 55% "blue" and 45% interstate.

Generally speaking, the pace is slower on the "blue" highways which suits me when pulling the trailer, and the scenery is generally better from other than interstates.

However, there is one state I personally know about that it's always advisable to use the interstates, and that's West Virginia. A couple of years ago I made the mistake of taking US50 across WV rather than I64. One of the worst decisions I've made driving. Never seen so many hairpin type curves and 9% grades going up, and obviously doing down.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I do all the driving.

[mockturtle]

johnhicks wrote:
Interstates might be safer, but if I had to drive only Interstates I'd just stay home.

Ditto! I use interstates only when I have to.

[johnhicks]

Interstates might be safer, but if I had to drive only Interstates I'd just stay home.

[2gypsies1]

We traveled secondary roads 95% of the time during our 16 years of full-timing. We never even saw an accident. Lucky, I guess. However, we have seen them on the interstates even though we drove them minimally.

What's the big deal with stopping at a small town stop sign? It takes perhaps a couple extra minutes. You're retired. 🙂 We have found some neat restaurants in small towns and some great city and county parks to stay which are much more reasonable in price than a RV park along the interstate. Small-town folks are very friendly.

[fla-gypsy]

The Blue roads for me whenever it is possible