You’re driving in your car. It’s late at night and dark outside — when something unexplainable happens.
It could be a mysterious light, a ghostly apparition in the road, a shift in energy that causes your vehicle to malfunction, or some other fear-inducing phenomenon.
You quickly pull over to catch your breath, rubbing your eyes to make sure you’re not dreaming.
But you’re not alone in what you saw — others have reported similar experiences, too.
Is it all some Halloween trick? For many drivers, it’s as real as their hands gripping the steering wheel, says Lance Surety Bonds. It recently surveyed 1,008 Americans about their experiences on the road and found that 13% of those surveyed reported experiencing paranormal activity, like seeing a ghost or UFO, while driving.
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63% of the drivers reported the incidents happened after dark, between the hours of 7 pm and 4 am, while 55% said they were driving on a rural road or highway.
Perhaps most unsettling, while 44% of the drivers were alone when the eerie phenomenon happened, 46% had passengers riding with them — who said they saw it too.
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Most common paranormal experiences while driving
| Experience | Percentage of survey respondents |
|---|---|
Unexplained lights or glows |
35% |
In-car phenomena, like temperature changes or radio disturbances |
30% |
Shadowy figures or unidentifiable animals |
24% |
Feeling of presence, or being watched, even if you’re alone |
21% |
Phantom hitchhikers |
21% |
Alien sightings or UFOs |
20% |
Time lapses (time stood still or sped up) |
15% |
Electronic disturbances (GPS or phone malfunctions) |
13% |
Hearing strange sounds or voices |
10% |
Seeing ghostly cars that appear or disappear |
10% |
What are the 8 most haunted roads in the United States?
RV Trader compiled a list of the country’s spookiest roads in 2024 — ostensibly so its customers could steer clear of them.
(Send us a line if you’ve ever driven down them — and survived.)
Route 2A, Haynesville, Maine
Northern Maine's rural roads are surrounded by dense, dark forests. They are known for their narrow lanes and sharp curves, which make driving hazardous, especially at night.
Route 2A in South Aroostook County, not far from the Canadian border, was once heavily used by trucks to transport seasonal crops, like potatoes, out of the state.
Tragically, in 1967, two young girls were struck and killed by tractor-trailers on the same day, August 22, in the Haynesville Woods. Venture down the twisting road today, and you may encounter a nearly 90-degree bend deep in the woods — as well as two young spirits looking lost and confused.
Drivers bold enough to offer the girls a ride have reported that once their cars began to move, the girls suddenly opened the vehicle’s doors and leaped outside, disappearing into the darkness.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Velvet Street (aka Dracula Drive), Connecticut
Something even more sinister transpired within these secluded hollows. A criminal asylum in Fairfield County burned down in the middle of the last century, killing all of its staff and most of its patients — but 10 to 20 inmates were left unaccounted for.
Freed from their shackles and, some believe, the medical experiments they endured, which resulted in hydrocephalus, or enlarged heads, the inmates survived by living in the woods and practicing cannibalism.
It’s said that drivers unfortunate enough to have their vehicles stall in these dark reaches simply vanish before their tow truck reaches them.
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Clinton Road, New Jersey
Apparently, humans aren’t the only ones behind the wheel on this winding road in West Milford Township. There have been numerous reports of phantom headlights, which suddenly appear out of the darkness and closely tail vehicles — then disappear almost as quickly.
Further down the road, a bridge harbors the spirit of a young boy who drowned in its dark waters. It’s said that those who toss a coin into the water will discover that the ghost will toss it back to them. Gulp.
Tennessee police issue warning over ‘clowns trying to lure children in to the woods’ https://t.co/SyFtPogl0x
— Telegraph Breaking News (@TelegraphNews) September 26, 2016
Fleetwood Drive, Greenville, South Carolina
Is there anything more frightening than a clown? The entire country was paralyzed in 2016 when groups of circus-attired menaces were reported watching, photographing, and following children.
It all began on a rural stretch of road in South Carolina. Multiple clowns were spotted in the woods by the Fleetwood Manor apartment complex. Children told police the clowns had banged on their doors with chains and flashed large amounts of money in an attempt to lure them away.
These clown sightings soon spread to Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Maryland—the Tennessee police even posted a warning on social media.
These sightings were later believed to have been part of a marketing stunt for a horror film called “Gags,” which was released in 2018. Before it all ended, 12 clowns were arrested, and another — this one a 16-year old boy in Reading, Pennsylvania — was fatally stabbed.
Route 66, Villa Ridge, Missouri
There’s an abandoned truck stop along this stretch of Old Route 66 that used to be known as the Old Diamonds Inn. Named after its wedged shape, the building caught fire in 1948; the flames were so intense that traffic in both directions on Route 66 was shut down.
While the building was rebuilt and survived a few more incarnations (most recently known as the Tri-County Truck Stop), reports of strange happenings continued all the while, making it a frequent haunt of paranormal investigators.
Some of its haunted happenings included coffee pots that smashed to the ground, ghostly fingers tapping visitors on their shoulders, and the constant hum of growling and slamming noises. Misty apparitions were also sighted — one even could bleed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jingerelle/7594941604
Bray Road, Wisconsin
Ever wonder what a werewolf looks like? Head to Walworth County Wisconsin, where so many people have witnessed this terrifying creature, resembling a 6-to-7-foot, fur-covered humanoid that carries the stench of rancid meat that it has inspired several books, documentaries, and a 2005 film entitled “The Beast of Bray Road.”
First sighted in 1936, the beast was known to leave long scratches on the sides of cars and trucks. One woman reported running something over with her car. When she got out of her vehicle to see what she had hit, she came face-to-face with a wolf-like beast with red eyes that quickly chased her back inside.
The beast gallops through the forest at night, keeping pace with passing cars on four — and sometimes even two — legs. No reports on whether the moon is full when it does so.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Route 375, Rachel, Nevada
Also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway, Route 375 plays up its alien kitsch with plenty of UFO-themed roadside attractions, restaurants (alien jerky, anyone?), and souvenir shops. It’s also the location of Area 51, the secret military base rumored to be where the U.S. keeps crashed UFOs—and whose existence the government denied until 2013.
But just because the E.T. Highway has been hyped up doesn’t mean sightings don’t still happen. Consider the fact that between 2001 and 2020, over 98,000 UFOs were witnessed, and The New York Times reports that this road has more sightings than any place else.
You can see why: Marked by long, lonesome stretches of barren plains and rocky peaks, the lack of light pollution makes its nighttime skies exceptionally dark, the perfect setting for saucer spotting.
Witness reports have varied from seeing bright lights in the sky hovering above them to being full-on “beamed up” into alien spacecraft and making the acquaintance of little green men. Depending upon your perspective, those "lucky" enough to experience such an encounter often report losing consciousness, only to recover days later, back in their cars with no clue as to what transpired.
Whatever your beliefs, just make sure to be prepared before you embark upon this 98-mile road, as it has long stretches without cell phone service or gas stations.
Sandhill Road, Nevada
Many people visit Las Vegas every year — but a few unfortunate souls can never leave.
One couple is said to haunt the storm tunnels that run underground Sandhill Road in Las Vegas. These three-foot tunnels were built in the ‘90s to direct waters into Lake Mead in the event of a flood, and trust us when we say no mortal being would want to spend time down there.
The couple had been on a tandem motorcycle ride but tragically crashed into the construction site where the tunnels were being built, and sounds of scrapes and moans can often be heard from deep inside.
Bonus: Chena Hot Springs Road, Alaska
Unexplained things often happen in the country’s remotest areas — even as far north as Alaska.
A few miles outside of Fairbanks, the rural Chena Hot Springs Road is known for more than its Igloo resort and reindeer ranch.
Drivers have reported seeing mysterious orbs of blue, white, and orange light while between miles 8 and 12, especially during the winter after darkness descends. Witnesses say the lights dance and coalesce together before following their vehicles. Ultimately, the lights vanish, leaving many wondering, “what was that?”
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