Quiz of the Day
Roads & Road Trips
Monday, 29 June 2026
Interstate Highway System 70th anniversary — famous roads, road trip trivia, transport history and engineering
1. In which year was the US Interstate Highway System authorised by the Federal-Aid Highway Act?
- 1962
- 1946
- 1956
- 1952
President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act on 29 June 1956, authorising $25 billion (about $275 billion today) for 41,000 miles of highways. Eisenhower was inspired by Germany's Autobahn, which he saw during World War II.
2. Which famous American highway, decommissioned in 1985, ran from Chicago to Santa Monica?
- Highway 101
- Interstate 66
- The Lincoln Highway
- Route 66
Route 66, established in 1926, stretched 2,448 miles and became known as 'The Main Street of America' and 'The Mother Road.' It was immortalised by John Steinbeck in 'The Grapes of Wrath' and by Bobby Troup's song '(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.'
3. Which country is home to the Pan-American Highway, the longest motorable road in the world?
- It spans multiple countries from Alaska to Argentina
- Mexico to Chile
- Brazil
- United States only
The Pan-American Highway stretches roughly 30,000 km from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina. There is a 100 km gap called the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia — a dense jungle with no road, making a complete drive impossible.
4. What is the UK's longest motorway?
- M25
- M4
- M1
- M6
The M6 runs 232 miles from Catthorpe in the Midlands to the Scottish border. Britain's first motorway was actually a bypass — the M6 Preston Bypass, opened by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in December 1958, five months before the M1.
5. Which country has no speed limit on most of its motorways (autobahns)?
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Germany
About 70% of the German Autobahn has no permanent speed limit. The advisory speed is 130 km/h (81 mph), but it is not enforced. Despite this, Germany's motorways have a lower fatality rate per km than many countries with strict speed limits, partly due to rigorous driving tests and car inspections.
6. What is the world's highest paved road, reaching over 5,600 metres above sea level?
- Karakoram Highway in Pakistan
- Stelvio Pass in Italy
- The Death Road in Bolivia
- Umling La Pass in India
Umling La in Ladakh, India, was paved by the Indian Border Roads Organisation and reaches 5,883 metres (19,300 feet). At that altitude, oxygen levels are about 50% of sea level. Drivers can experience altitude sickness just from the drive.
7. Which scenic Scottish road is known as one of the most beautiful driving routes in the world?
- The North Coast 500 (NC500)
- The M8
- The A82
- The A9
The NC500 is a 516-mile loop around the Scottish Highlands starting and ending at Inverness Castle. Launched in 2015 as Scotland's answer to Route 66, it passes through some of the most remote and sparsely populated areas in Western Europe.
8. What was the first country in the world to build a motorway?
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Italy
Italy opened the Milan-Varese autostrada in 1924, making it the world's first purpose-built motorway. It was 84 km long with one lane in each direction. Germany's first autobahn section opened in 1932, and the UK did not get a motorway until 1958.
9. How long is Australia's Highway 1, which circles the entire continent?
- About 9,000 km
- About 14,500 km
- About 20,000 km
- About 5,000 km
Highway 1 is the longest national highway in the world at approximately 14,500 km. It passes through every mainland state capital. Parts of the road in outback Australia can go hundreds of kilometres without seeing another vehicle or petrol station.
10. What is the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah famous for in motoring history?
- Land speed records
- The first drive-in cinema
- The first filling station
- The first traffic jam
The Bonneville Salt Flats have been used for speed records since 1914. The flat, hard surface stretches for miles. In 1970, Gary Gabelich set a record of 622 mph there. The current wheel-driven record is 503 mph, set by the Turbinator II in 2018.
11. Which famous road in Norway features 11 hairpin bends and is a popular tourist attraction?
- Eagle Road
- Lysevegen
- Atlantic Ocean Road
- Trollstigen
Trollstigen ('Troll's Path') was completed in 1936 after eight years of construction. It climbs 858 metres with an incline of 9% and is only open from late May to October due to snow. At the top, a cantilevered viewing platform juts out over the valley.
12. What colour are UK motorway signs?
- Blue
- White
- Brown
- Green
The UK colour-coded sign system was designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert in the late 1950s. Blue is for motorways, green for primary routes, and white for local roads. The typeface they created, called 'Transport', is still used on every British road sign today.
13. Which US interstate highway is the longest, stretching from Boston to Seattle?
- I-10
- I-90
- I-40
- I-80
Interstate 90 stretches 3,020 miles across 13 states from Boston, Massachusetts, to Seattle, Washington. It crosses the Mississippi River, the Rocky Mountains, and passes through cities including Cleveland, Chicago, and Rapid City near Mount Rushmore.
14. What was unusual about the 'Red Flag Act' that governed early motoring in the UK?
- All cars had to be painted red
- Drivers had to carry red emergency flares
- Only red lights were used at junctions
- A person had to walk ahead of the vehicle waving a red flag
The Locomotive Act of 1865 required a person to walk 60 yards ahead of self-propelled vehicles waving a red flag (or lantern at night) to warn horse riders and pedestrians. The speed limit was 4 mph on open roads and 2 mph in towns. It was repealed in 1896.
15. Which famous coastal road in California offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean?
- The Overseas Highway
- Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1)
- Route 66
- Mulholland Drive
California's Highway 1 runs 656 miles along the Pacific coast. The Big Sur section includes the Bixby Creek Bridge, a 218-metre concrete arch that took 14 months to build in 1932. The road is frequently closed by landslides — a 2017 slide moved 6 million cubic metres of earth.