A simple topological graph G is a graph drawn in the plane so that any pair of edges have at most one point in common, which is either an endpoint or a proper crossing. G is called saturated if no further edge can be added without violating this condition. We construct saturated simple topological graphs with n vertices and O(n) edges. For every k > 1, we give similar constructions for k-simple topological graphs, that is, for graphs drawn in the plane so that any two edges have at most k points in common. We show that in any k-simple topological graph, any two independent vertices can be connected by a curve that crosses each of the original edges at most 2k times. Another construction shows that the bound 2k cannot be improved. Several other related problems are also considered. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.