Rusty

What is the etiquette for one lane roads? Don't the usual rules of the road apply?

justme22

similar to the 4 way stop, each way takes a turn. if there are two cars directly behind one another they can go thru in the same direction at the same time. but if there is any gap, the side that was waiting should go next. when i was there i didn't have any issues with the one way. just need to be polite...

I did check our my state's driving rules, and couldn't find a thing!

hulajake

It's ok for someone to run a stop sign where you live? Would you tell us so if by chance we wander through we're not takin by surprise.

hawaiifanatic

Good analogy. It comes up most often at those 54 single-lane bridges mentioned above where there's no way for cars going in opposite directions to squeak by each other.

jinxiejo

Is there just single lane bridges? Or is part of the highway single lane also? If so, is there warning before hand? We are planning to do this drive in October and I wanted it to be fun not stressful.

iamq

Parts of the road are narrow, but two cars can get by each other fine. As to whether it will be stressful or not, I can't say. If you find yourself not enjoying the experience, find a place to pull over, enjoy the views, take a deep breath and then decide whether or not you want to continue on. You don't have to go the whole way to Hana and back to get a flavor this area.

MinnieNo1

I agree with the above posts. The road to Hana is beautiful and can be somewhat nerve wracking, but you can take your time and will have no problems. It's possible you may get a bit carsick if you're so inclined, but that's about all. Although you probably want to take a picnic lunch and snacks. We've taken the road 3 times and my husband swears we'll never go again (too many winding roads for him), but I did get him to go around the north end twice (but never again on that either). I would definitely say the views are better on the north end (no waterfalls), but the road is certainly more hazardous. One lanes and lots of backups. I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. Have a great time and relax during your vacation. I think we all have a tendency to want to do too much. When we went in 1997, we sore we would never be back. February will be our 7th trip.

justme22

hey, i wasn't talking about the 4 way stops and two cars going thru, i meant the narrow roads on maui! since you don't really have to stop on the narrow road... (however i make no comment on the possiblity of someone employing the rolling stop at a 4 way stop....)

i don't think folks should over stress about the road, just pay attention and things should be fine. it's too pretty to miss.

FrankyP

The road to Hana is dangerous. But so are the freeways in California. I think you're more likely to be hurt driving in NYC than to Hana. One road that's a bit more dangerous in Maui is around the upperwest side of the island. This can get sketchy.

As far as Hana goes, don't stress about it. Take your time, and be careful of other drivers. I've heard of a couple locals that party in Hana regularly, then drive back after a couple stiff sodas. These guys are idiots, so watch out for people like that.

anniemoll

I can only hope that the improvements in recent years have included some guard rails. I drove the Road to Hana in '97 and was scared to death. It's not so bad when you are on the inside lane but all I can remember was being forced to be within inches of the edge and a straight drop down most of the time. It was particularly stressful when you came upon a camper trailer and there was barely room for him let alone me. Another thing that sticks out in my mind was at the end of this "journey" you could buy t-shirts that said "I survived the Road to Hana" if that tells you anything. I have driven some similar roads in Switzerland and it was not my favorite thing to do. From reading these posts it looks like it is about 50/50 so I would just go with how you feel and your comfort level. Have a great trip.

JBHapgood

What is the etiquette for one lane roads? Don't the usual rules of the road apply?

Yes, all the usual rules of the road apply. As on the Mainland, SUVs always have the right of way. Or at least that's what SUV drivers seem to believe. All kidding aside, I usually do find it easier to give the SUVs the right of way, since my normal car can more easily pull over. But sometimes it is necessary to reach a "negotiated" agreement for one car to back up to the nearest place to pull over so the other can get through.

The infamous one-lane narrow bridges have turnouts just before the bridges themselves, with a sign proclaiming "narrow bridge." The rule, as I understand it, is that whoever gets there first has the right of way. The vehicle on the other side waits in the turnout until the first car crosses the bridge. It's no big deal if you keep your eyes open, drive slowly, and enjoy the scenery. The Hana Highway isn't a speed trial, and the journey matters more than the destination.

RedRock

No road is dangerous. Only the people driving it can make it that way. Especially if they are not paying attention to what they are doing..

bigtyke

If you have driven the Amalfi Coast, then you certainly have nothing to fear!

I first rode the road in 1964 - about the 2nd year it was paved. I remember it being somewhat scary - but then I was just a kid riding in the front seat.

I drove it again in 1996 and found it to be a very easy drive. You need to pay attention, but it was absolutely no problem

Kerry392

I did this drive 2 weeks ago. If you take your time, you will be fine. People will try to intimidate you by getting on your bumper; there are many pull-outs so you can pull over and let them go by. You have to pay attention- some people will just stop in the middle of the road to gawk at the beautiful scenery!
You may want to give your son some medication for motion sickness if he is prone to it; the road is pretty curvy!
It is definitley a beautiful drive to take. Have fun!

paula1470

I didn't find the Road to Hana stressful or dangerous when I drove it in June. Although I have driven on many windy roads, I was expecting something much worse the way people were talking. I thought it was an easy drive.

Like others said, if someone is on your tail just pull over and let them pass. Be courteous to the other drivers. The bridges are marked as to who should yield so that wasn't a problem. My DD who is 20 does get carsick so we were a little worried about that. But she took some Dramamine, sat in the front and had no problem.

The Road to Hana was my favorite part of our visit to Maui and Oahua.

montanan

My grown son and daughter and I drove to Hana from Paia yesterday and all feel very lucky to be alive. We stayed a bit too long and the travel was so slow that we found ourselves driving home at dusk which is not a safe thing to do. We encountered many large vehicles who were driving very fast coming the other direction towards Hana. They were passing on very narrow roads posted "Do Not Pass" and not following the common sense rule of "cars going opposite directions taking turns going over one lane bridges." They were speeding, passing, careening around corners and generally creating very dangerous driving conditions. There are many areas on the Hana Highway that the road turns into one lane and you cannot see if there is another car coming around the blind corner. Three times we experienced speeding trucks coming around the corners and we narrowly missed them. We were in a small Toyotta and the trucks literally just tried to run us off the road. It was terrifying. One truck passed three cars and we later saw that same truck wrecked down the road. I don't think I will ever drive that highway again - it is NOT SAFE. We finally made it through by getting behind a truck with a safe driver and followed it home. All the vehicles that we encountered that were driving so insanely were large pickup trucks returning to Hana at dusk (after work). Be careful and stay in Hana if you don't have complete daylight on your return. While the road has been upgraded since I last traveled it - with all the blind curves and one lane stretches with no pull over's - it is still SUPER DANGEROUS.