Thousands of years roads have provided a means for safer and more efficient movement of goods and people, but as you will see in a moment this is not always the case. While some of the roads on our list are heavily traveled thoroughfares others are remote, winding, and narrow. Whatever the case may be though, the 25 most dangerous roads in the world will likely convince you that walking isn’t really that bad after all.
Trans-Siberian Highway, Russia
Along with the Trans Canada Highway and
Australia’s Highway 1, the Trans-Siberian Highway is one of the longest
in the world. In order to get from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg it
crosses forests, mountains, deserts, and everything in between. Much of
it is unpaved and certainly not ideal for a casual Sunday drive.
Highway 1, Mexico
While some parts of Highway 1 in Mexico are
paved with asphalt, most of it is little more than dirt and rock,
winding along dangerous precipices with no railings or guard rails.
Stelvio Pass Road, Italy
It may not be the scariest road on our list
to drive, but it certainly is the most winding and this 2.7km road in
the Italian Alps has been known to give drivers trouble.
Cotopaxi Volcano Road, Ecuador
Although there are many dangerous sections
branching off the Pan American highway, the 40-km long dirt track that
links it with the Cotopaxi Volcano National Park in Ecuador tops the
list. With enormous potholes, slippery slopes, and all around precarious
driving conditions make this a road a bit of a challenge.
Pan-American Highway, Alaska to Argentina
As we just saw, many dangerous roads branch
off the from the Pan-American Highway but the highway itself can be
fairly dangerous as well. It has been named the “longest motorable” road
in the world as you can travel by car from the stretches of Alaska down
to the tip of South America, which is about a 30,000 miles in total. As
you can imagine, crossing two continents and traversing through
jungles, mountains, glaciers, and deserts can inevitably lead to some
challenges.
Although this road from Oxford to
Aberystwyth in the UK is not dangerous in the same way that the previous
roads have been, for some reason A44 has been responsible for so many
head-on collisions that the government had to step in with
countermeasures.
The A682 Road, England
Like route A44, highway A682 seems like a
rather quiet and uneventful road. In the past couple years, however, it
has been responsible for hundreds of fatalities.
Arica to Iquique Road, Chile
Driving along the road can seem rather
harmless as runs through flat and wide open spaces but apparently
drivers are often lulled into a false sense of security leading them to
speed which many times ends in disaster.
Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China
A road with a record of over 7,500 deaths
for every 100,000 drivers has reason to be feared. Due to rock slides,
avalanches, and poor weather drivers should certainly use caution.
Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road, Greece
The Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road in Greece is narrow, filled with
potholes, lacking guardrails, and is very slippery especially when it
rains. Unless you’re up for a challenge it might just be better to walk
or something. Watch video: