Imagine you are driving on some beautiful road in some far-flung, exotic locale and when you just reach a bend, the railing ends and the road narrows, and when you look hundreds or thousands of feet below, you can see the wreckage of vehicles long lost.
That is what some drivers who never made it to the end of their journeys have experienced.
Do you think your drive to work is dangerous? Wait until you read about these dangerous roads from across the globe! You’ll think twice about getting behind the wheel.
1. James Dalton Highway
This 666 km road is located in Alaska and has a maximum elevation of 1,444m. It is mainly used by truckers who are exposed to its dangers such as wildlife, isolation, steep grades, difficult terrain, poor visibility, and extreme weather.
2. Tibet-Sichuan Highway
Located in Tibet and China, it has a maximum elevation of 4.700m and a total length of 2,140km. Avalanches and rockslides are a common feature on this switchback-laden, treacherous highway which also has hairpin turns and very steep cliffs.
3. Killar, Kishtwar to Pangi Road
This is the most dangerous road in the world. It is a 114 km road located in India with a maximum elevation of 2,542m, is isolated and unpaved. The road has steep cliffs, is muddy and has no guardrails.
This nightmarish road is below overhanging rocks that appear as if they call fall at any moment. It is also one of the scariest roads in the world.
4. North Yungas Road
This road, also known as the road of death, is located in Bolivia and covers a total of 80 km with a maximum elevation of 4,650m. The dangers associated with this road include cliffs, rockfalls, and landslides.
The road is narrow, has steep cliff but lacks guardrails. Up to 1994, about 300 travelers had been killed on the road annually.
5. Zoji La Pass
Zoji La Pass is located in India and is a 9 km long dangerous highway with a maximum elevation of 3,528m. This dirt road has steep cliffs and no traffic signs or guardrails.
To make matters worse, it is passing through a landslide-prone area and it zigzags among mountainous peaks at its highest elevation. The weather here is very extreme and the road is unpaved.
6. Skippers Canyon Road
This road is located in New Zealand, has a total length of 26.5km and has no guardrails. It is unpaved, has very steep cliffs and is also so narrow. This road is so dangerous that a car accident attorney will certainly tell you that if you get an accident here, your insurance company will not honor your claims.
7. Lena Highway and Kolyma Highway Dangerous Roads
Branded as the road of bones, they are the most dangerous roads in Russia. Lena Highway (A360) and Kolyma Highway (R504), both have the same dangers of low visibility, mud, ice, and extreme weather. Many divers die here each year when their cars slide and fall through the ice.
Be Careful on These Dangerous Roads
Every year across the world, there are over 1.35 million deaths associated with traffic accidents and most of these accidents occurred on dangerous roads.
Before you pick a new route, find out from the people around how dangerous it might be. If you want to learn more about the world’s most dangerous roads, keep reading our blog.