The World’s Worst Road Designs: Where Engineering Meets Chaos
When you think of car crashes, you might picture reckless drivers or poor weather. But sometimes, the real villain is the road itself. Across the globe, bizarre, outdated, or overly complex road designs have caused confusion, stress, and thousands of avoidable accidents.
Let’s take a drive down some of the most unnecessary and accident-prone road designs in the world—the ones that make drivers say, “Who approved this?!”
1. The Magic Roundabout – Swindon, England
Nickname: The Traffic Circle from Hell
2. High Five Interchange – Dallas, Texas, USA
Nickname: The Spaghetti Stack
3. Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange – Los Angeles, USA
Nickname: Concrete Chaos
4. Stelvio Pass – Northern Italy
Nickname: Instagram’s Favorite Death Trap
5. A682 – Lancashire, England
Nickname: The Grim Reaper Road
6. Nairobi’s Haile Selassie-Railway Roundabout, Kenya
Nickname: Roundabout Roulette
7. Puxi Viaduct Interchange – Shanghai, China
Nickname: The Spinning Top
Why These Designs Still Exist
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Cost of redesigning: Tearing down and rebuilding roads is expensive and disruptive.
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Engineering pride: Some designs win awards for innovation—despite being hated by drivers.
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Local adaptation: Residents get used to them; it’s the outsiders who suffer.
Drive With Caution, Not Just Skill
Bad drivers are dangerous—but bad roads can be worse. These infamous designs remind us that even the most advanced cities and engineers can create road systems that prioritize complexity over clarity. Until redesigns happen, it’s up to drivers to stay alert, trust their instincts, and sometimes… just avoid these places entirely.
