The A666 is sometimes referred to as the
Devil's Highway or the Devil's Road because of
Biblical associations of its number 666, and its high accident rate on the moors between
Egerton and Darwen. Officially, a short length from the
M61 Kearsley spur and bypassing Farnworth to central Bolton is called
St. Peter's Way.
Because of a crash rate that was three times higher than other motorways in the borough, with 26 vehicle collisions and crashes a year and 40 people injured, road works and other changes were introduced, including the speed limit changed from 70 mph to 50 mph,
speed cameras, better safety fencing, banning
cyclists from the road, and
slip road changes. Finished at the start of 2000, these reduced
road accidents by 60%.