The Scenic Route (And the Safe One)
While the interstate might promise speed and efficiency, it often delivers nothing but a blurred landscape and a heavy dose of driving anxiety. Stepping away from the high-speed chaos of the highway allows you to actually experience the journey instead of just suffering through a commute. By sticking to local roads, you’ll discover that the extra minutes added to your trip are a small price to pay for the peace of mind and the hidden gems you’d otherwise zoom right past.
1. Lower Stress Levels
White-knuckling the steering wheel at seventy miles per hour is a recipe for a tension headache before you even reach your destination. Local roads offer a much slower pace that lets you breathe and relax while you’re behind the wheel. You’ll find that arriving a little later but feeling completely calm is much better than getting there early and feeling totally frazzled.
2. Discovering Hidden Eateries
Drive down the highway long enough and you’ll realize that every exit has the same three fast-food chains. Driving on local streets increases your chances of finding that one burger joint your coworker won’t shut up about. Plus, you’ll never discover a hidden gem just off the freeway.
3. Avoiding Massive Pileups
Sure, you could sit in traffic on the interstate for hours just because someone spilled their coffee ahead of you. But if you take local streets you can always turn down an alternate street or two-lane road to bypass the small accident. Nobody’s traffic is ever truly gridlocked if you have a grid of streets to work with.
4. Better Gas Mileage
Driving faster creates wind resistance that makes your car work harder, which burns more gas. You also won’t have to go quite as fast on local roads since the speed limit is usually much lower. Sticking to the limits will help your fuel efficiency tremendously.
5. Seeing Real Scenery
Interstates were built with function in mind and not beauty. That’s why they’re usually flat and go right through any boring hills they have to. Backroads meander around beautiful landscapes and let you see some of nature’s finest work.
6. Supporting Local Businesses
Every time you stop for gas or coffee at a local business, you’re investing in that community. Buying food or clothing from big corporations when you drive through them doesn’t help anyone except the already wealthy. Feel good about traveling cross-country by supporting small businesses along the way.
7. Safer Driving Conditions
Driving next to 18-wheelers traveling at high speeds can be nerve-wracking when you’re in a smaller vehicle. There will be far fewer large vehicles on local streets. Most traffic will be passenger cars and the occasional delivery truck.
8. Historical Landmarks
Chances are there’s a historical marker or an old monument within driving distance of you that you don’t know about. Backroads tend to follow older routes that were established before big road trips were invented. Read the signs and take in the architecture whenever you can.
9. Learning the Layout
If you always use the highway to get places, you’ll never really know how your town fits together. Driving on local streets will help you visualize where everything is located. You’ll be that friend who always knows the best shortcuts because you’ve actually driven around to see.
10. Gentler on Your Tires
Driving at high speeds for extended periods of time can overheat your tires. Not only is this bad for your tires, but it also wastes money in the long run. Your tires will stay significantly cooler while driving on local streets.
11. More Opportunities for Breaks
You can’t exactly pull over in the middle of the freeway to take a selfie or use the restroom. But if you’re driving local you’ll pass countless opportunities to do just that. Pull over in a park, on a street with a wide shoulder, or at a local restroom.
12. Avoiding Toll Booths
Sure would be nice to never have to pay to drive again, right? Using backroads is one way to avoid highways that require you to pay a toll. Avoid burning a hole in your pocket and drive local instead.
13. Better for Electric Vehicles
If you have an electric vehicle, driving local will help your range. Stopping and starting at lower speeds is easier on your battery, and regenerative brakes can charge you as you drive. Take local streets and you can avoid plugging in for the rest of the day.
14. Meeting Interesting People
At best you might honk or wave angrily at another driver on the highway. But stopping at a local business is the perfect opportunity to meet new people. Talk to the cashier at your local coffee shop about life or the road trip you’re on.
15. Quieter Cabin Environment
Did you know that listening to music or talking to your friends is nearly impossible at highway speeds? The wind and road create so much noise that your music can’t compare. Drive local and your ride will be quieter than normal.
16. Unique Architecture
Gas station parking lots and highway overpasses blend together after you’ve been driving for a while. But if you drive through neighborhoods you’ll notice the many types of architecture around you. Take in Mother Nature’s work and the art others have made when you drive local.
Juan Carballo Diaz on Unsplash
17. Easier Navigation
While it might seem counterintuitive, following a single main road through several towns is often simpler than navigating complex highway interchanges. You don't have to worry about missing a high-speed exit and having to drive ten miles out of your way just to turn around. Local signs are usually placed at eye level and give you plenty of time to decide where you need to go next.
18. Fresher Air
Did you know that air near freeways is often dirtier than air in the middle of farmland? All that exhaust from large trucks and automobiles can really take a toll on your lungs. Drive local and you’ll find yourself closer to farms and fresh air.
19. Developing Patience
We live in such a rush-rush world that sometimes taking the long way is good for the soul. You become one with the stoplights and start to enjoy the slower pace of small-town traffic. You can even apply this relaxed mindset to the rest of your day and feel less stressed.
20. The Unexpected Surprises
You just might stumble across a farm-to-table food truck or maybe a pretty decent garage sale. When you take local you never know what you might find at your next turn. You’ll have countless stories to tell your friends when you decide to venture off the beaten path.
