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Most dangerous Roads in the USA

Most dangerous Roads in the USA

Lot’s of people like to embark on Autumn road trips in order to take advantage of cheaper hotel rates and a less maddening amount of traffic. Here’s a guide to some of America’s most dangerous roads, as prepared by the highway gurus at Towing Chicago, so you can make sure that you’re extra careful in case you find yourself driving on one of the below ominous stretches of pavement.

 

California’s State Route 138

Known as Death Road, Highway 138 stretches from the mountains of Interstate 15 through the San Gabriel Mountains to Palmdale. The majority of its stretch is on a twisting, non divided 1 lane highway with tiny narrow shoulders and huge drop offs. It’s infamous for head on collisions – leading us to recommend to use turnout areas to allow faster traveling cars to safely move past you.

 

Colorado’s Highway 550

Called the Million Dollar Highway and constructed during the late 19th century, this 25 mile road leads up from Ouray to the top of the San Juan Mountains Red Mountain Pass. It carries huge inclines, hairpin turns, steep drop offs, and thin nails – all with minimal guardrails or safety shoulders. Beginning in October, snow and avalanches add another level of risk to traversing this highway. We recommend using low gears when descending this steep mountainous road while continually braking your engine to keep your car moving slowly, steadily, and safely,

 

Florida’s U.S. Highway 1

This may well be the USA’s most dangerous road. Moving across the east coast of Florida with beautiful views of 13 separate counties throughout the Florida Keys, U.S. Highway 1 has been home to over 1000 deaths. We stress the importance of paying close attention to the road rather than the enchantingly beautiful scenery, as by paying attention to ocean views, you’re being a distracted and dangerous driver. Instead, wait until you see an official scenic lookout areas where you can park and take in the view safely.

 

Montana’s Highway 2

This country road runs from North Dakota to Iowa is pretty desolate, but still very dangerous. Since it’s usually so empty, drivers usually drive extra fast on it – and since it’s in the middle of nowhere, if there’s an accident, ambulances simply won’t arrive for quite a long time, over an hour on average actually. When driving on these visually blighted and empty highways, utilize your car’s cruise control at a safe speed and don’t let the landscape hypnotize you out of your driver’s alertness.

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Worst Types of Automobile Breakdowns

Worst Types of Automobile Breakdowns

You can imagine that as towing experts, we’ve seen our fair share of awful on-road automobile breakdowns. There’s multiple factors that could cause a driver to need to pull over on the side of the road to contact a licensed towing company; in this brief blog post, the experts at Chicago Towing will detail some of the most worst types of breakdowns.

 

Battery Issues

Most car batteries should last between 3 and 5 years, but this can be highly shortened if you often drive in extreme temperatures. To avoid getting stranded by your battery, make sure to check your battery every time you get your car checked at a mechanic or dealers, especially if the battery is less than 3 years old. You can spot automobile battery issues when your headlights or interior car lights dim, or your windows are reacting more slowly than beautiful.

 

Getting Locked Out

This situation really sucks because it’s completely preventable, Make sure to get a spare set of keys copied, and keep them outside your car inside your home or office. If you’re going on a long car journey, make sure to give a pair of the spare keys to another person that you’re traveling with, so if you lose your pair of keys, you’ll have another one readily available.

 

Engine Issues

These issues most commonly are caused by issues like broken coolant leaking hoses, which in turn cause an engine to overheat. You can inspect hoses and belts by inspecting them for any peeling, cracks, or softening. Make sure to check out transmission and auto fluid levels, with an item similar to a dipstick. You can also prevent engine issues by monitoring your gas mileage on a monthly basis, and if the mileage suddenly drops, it’s likely an engine issue.

 

Transmission

A sudden drop in mileage could also be due to transmission issues. It’s harder these days to find transmission issues in contemporary modern cars, and what was once easy to spot as a broken transmission might now be revealed to be caused by software or sensor hardware. If you feel a weird jerking or slip when you place automatic transmission in gear, make sure to check out the car’s transmission, and make sure that your mechanic or dealer checks all your fluid during any type of maintenance, especially the transmission fluid.

 

Brake Problems

Almost no part of the car is more essential for safety than the car’s brakes. Make sure that the brake rotors and pads get check twice a year. The brake fluid should be changed between every 2 and 3 years, depending on the specifications laid out in your car manual. If you pull over to one side when you hit the brakes, hear a grinding or squeaking motion, or your brake pedal feels soft you need to get your brake issues fixed ASAP.

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21 Essential Road Trip Tips

road trip tip Chicago towing

If you’re planning on traveling through the United States on a road trip, driving without stopping has advantages – you’ll save money on hotels, have more time once you get to your destination – not to mention the sense of exhilaration you get on a nonstop drive. However, in order to stay safe and energetic, it’s integral to follow these tips to make sure your ride goes smooth.

Get a good night’s sleep before the journey

Scientific studies have shown that missing a few hours of sleep can impair your driving to a comparable level to being intoxicated with alcohol. Don’t let this happen by making sure that you get a lot of sleep the night before you leave.

Wear Sunscreen

This is a very underrated tip. If your skin is in direct sunlight for hours at a time, your skin is going to be exposed to harmful UVA rays. You’re going to need sunscreen to protect your exposed skins from getting burns. Apply liberally, and repeat when necessary.

Eat Nutritiously

Don’t just eat roadside fastfood. Instead of stopping at a drive through, stop at a supermarket, and get salad, fruit, or a hearty sandwich – rather than fried food that won’t give you the nutrition you need through your journey.

Avoid Staying at Rest Stops

Pulling over and sleeping in your car can be dangerous – and it’s illegal in some states. We don’t recommend it. Use rest stops to stretch your legs, get a snack, or go to the bathroom. Then get back on the road.

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Common Car Towing Questions

car towing company chicago

Can tow trucks tow the car backwards?

Most tow trucks can hook themselves up to the front or the back of the vehicle that’s being towed. This is actually the ideal (and most widely used) method for vehicles with rear wheel drive, although front or all-wheel drive vehicles can also be towed from the back if the car’s front can be lifted with a pulley or dolly.

Can your car get towed if you’re touching it?

Absolutely not. In order to complete the towing job safely, the tow truck driver will need you to stand away from your vehicle. If you’re physically blocking the car from getting towed, If your car is being towed due to legal injunction, and you’re physically blocking it from getting towed, the driver might contact the police to escort you away – which may result in a fine or civil charges of obstruction.

How can I prevent my car from being able to get towed by a roll-back or flatbed tow truck?

These trucks get their name from their flatbed that tilts backwards so that vehicles can get rolled on to it for transporting. These trucks usually transport strangely shaped, damaged, or large vehicles – but also commonly tow regular cars. Since the flatbed’s driver needs to position the truck directly in line with the car so that it can be winched up, you can prevent one of these trucks from being able to  tow you by parking somewhere there the flatbed truck can’t reach the front or back of the car.

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