10 Most Dangerous Roads in the World: A Guide to Hair-Raising Highways
We are fortunate in the West that, for the most part, we get to drive on roads that have road markings, traffic circles, lights, and road signs. However, not all countries have features designed to keep us safe. An online post asks motorists to share the worst roads they have ever experienced. So here are some of the most dangerous roads you would be best avoiding around the world.
1. North Yungas Road, Bolivia
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Nicknamed by locals “Camino de la Muerte,” this 70-mile stretch of the muddy, unguarded, unpaved mountain pass can be fatal. The road linking La Paz to Coroice in Bolivia has claimed many lives with “over 200 hairpin turns” and a 1000-meter drop into the valley below.
The Road of Death in Bolivia is another mountain pass to avoid.
2. Sichuan, Tibet Highway
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The cities in China are usually safe to navigate, though once you hit the countryside, it can be a lottery with road conditions. One such road is the incredible Sichuan-Tibet Highway in southwestern China, climbing from 500 to 4,000 meters. The risk of landslides and the quality of some stretches makes this road treacherous.
3. Bayburt D915, Turkey
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Claiming many lives in recent history, this 66-mile-long mountain road is dangerously narrow in places, with vertical, rocky walls on one side and a misty drop on the other. The most significant risk here is landslides and weather that can turn even during summer.
4. Zojila Pass, India
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Driving through a volatile geopolitical region might be enough danger for some drivers, though getting there may be even worse. Linking India’s Ladakh region and neighboring Kashmir, this sheer, barrier-free mountain pass has claimed dozens of lives. The gorge below is scattered with buses, dead cattle, and cars.
The Himalayan altitude also means extreme weather events are never far away.
5. In Thailand, Most City Roads
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Thailand is famous for being a country tough on crime, though the roads can be lawless. The favored method of transport is the motorbike, which means competing with millions of other bike riders. “Motorcyclists tend to go in any direction they desire (at) any time of the day or night,” shares one visitor, “(and) at whatever speed is deemed necessary.”
6. Stelvio Pass, Italy
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Italy lays claim to one of the highest mountain roads in Europe, boasting 48 hair-raising switchback turns that drop down the side of the Stelvio Pass. The hazards on this spectacular asphalt ribbon are one’s driving ability and the beautiful landscape distracting drivers from the steering wheel.
7. The Road of Bones, Russia
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The Kolyma Highway in Russia became famous when Ewen McGregor and Charlie Boorman attempted it in their TV series, The Long Way Round. The chilling name hides a terrible past: forced laborers who lost their lives were buried under the tarmac. Furthermore, parts of the road are crumbling or missing, so anyone brave enough to try this one needs to have medical insurance.
8. Skippers Canyon, New Zealand
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Automotive thrillseekers could do worse than trying Skippers Canyon Road in the New Zealand Alps. Hand-carved by Kiwi miners over 140 years ago, this road was never meant to support cars. So dangerous is this mountain pass that even car insurance is void when driving on it!
9. Fairy Meadows Road, Pakistan
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Another Himalayan adventure route, this route has all the trappings of a high-risk highway: high altitude, steep drops, and no guardrails. However, the brittle quality of Fairy Meadows Road’s gravel foundation means slipping off the edge is a risk — especially if the famous mountain range’s weather turns on you.
10. The Atlantic Road, Norway
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On Norway’s Atlantic Road, you will encounter Storseisundet Bridge, famously nicknamed ‘The Bridge to Nowhere,’ due to its steep, curved appearance that seems to disappear. This road skirts the seething North Atlantic Ocean, which graces the road with occasional tidal waves or gale-force winds, making it one of the most dangerous roads to drive.
Source: Quora.
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