Highway M-185 in Michigan is the safest road in America because it’s the only one where motor vehicles are banned. The restriction dates back to 1898, and since the ban was put in place only a handful of vehicles have driven on the asphalt and they were the city’s emergency vehicles and the film crew of the 1979 movie Somewhere In Time. M-185 is peculiar for another reason — it leads to nowhere. That’s because it happens to be circular and lies entirely on an island. M-185 isn’t even listed on the National Highway System, which is an index of strategic highways and roads within the U.S. that are important to the country’s economy, defense and mobility. In fact, people wonder why M-185 is called a highway at all. It became a highway in 1933 and encircles Mackinac Island, a popular tourist destination on the Lake Huron side of the Straits of Mackinac. It’s narrow 7.9-mile paved road is very popular among cyclists because of the great views it offers of the straits that divide the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan. It’s also the starting point of the Mackinac Island State Park. M-185 has been called the “best scenic drive” in Michigan.
