The Most Dangerous Roads to Drive in the World

On our list of the most dangerous roads in the world to drive, you will see serpentine, steep and some of the narrowest of roads located in the between of steep cliffs of terror that many drivers still dare to cross despite the danger of death.

Hundreds of people have died on these roads. For many of the brave drivers who travel these dangerous roads, doing so daily represents a way of life; However for others it is nothing more than a way to defy death and feel the adrenaline rushing through your entire body.

Below our list of the most dangerous roads to drive in the world in decreasing order.

10. Pasubio (Italy)

Length: 6.55 km (4.0 miles)
Maximum height: 1,934 m (6,345 ft.)

One of the most dangerous roads in Italy where driving is a challenge, due to it's very narrow road structure where only small vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles fit. It is also known as "The road of the 52 tunnels." It was built in 1916 during the First World War. It is characterized by steep cliffs and deep ravines, which freeze the body when traveling along this winding road.

It is located in Vicenza in northern Italy. Its 52 tunnels are distributed along the 6,555 meters that this step measures and were carved in the Pasubio stone.

9. Sichuan-Tibet Road (China)

Length: 2,140 km (1,330 miles)
Maximum height: 4,700 m (5,420 ft.)

This long and dangerous road stretches across the border between China and Tibet through mountain peaks. With the looming risk of being crushed by falling boulders, landslides or some of its permanent avalanches, which can push the vehicle towards the deep gorges.

It is also a road with many sharp and narrow curves that leads from Chengdu in the Sichuan region (southwest of China) to Lhasa the capital of Tibet. It was built in 1954 and since then the death toll from traffic accidents is counted by thousands. Although, it has very beautiful landscapes, also in many of its sections the travelers usually get dizzy by the continuous curves. Although that is the least if you manage to get out of this adventure alive.

8. Kolyma Road and Lena Road (Russia)

Length: 3,080 km (1,914 miles)
Maximum height: unknown

Travelers who dare to travel on this unpaved road are met with various dangers, including the extreme weather that mud and ice difficult to anvigate. It is known by the nickname "Road of the bones", this road crosses the cold region of Siberia from the cityof Magadan to Yakutsk.

On this road, the R504 Kolyma Highway and the A360 Lena Highway, which are a combination of hazards throughout the journey, are joined by the ice road that forms the Lena River. This icy road remains open from December to April when you can drive through the hard ice.

However, many people die frozen and drowned when the ice breaks and they fall into the water along with their vehicles. So the best time to travel this road is in winter when the ice sheet is denser and harder.

One of the curiosities of this route is that drivers are often bored by the traffic jams that form in some sections and as a hobby they steal from each other.

7. Guoliang Tunnel Road (China)

Length: 1.2 km (0.75 miles)
Maximum height: 600 m (2,000 ft.)

This road was opened in 1977, through the rock of the Taihang Mountains, which lead to the city of Guoliang. The villagers sculpted the dangerous tunnel on the mountainside for being the only way to have contact with the outside world, since they lived practically isolated.

Today it represents a great tourist attraction of the region and of China.

6. "The Road of Death" (Brazil)

Length: 4,610 km (2864.5 miles)
Maximum height: unknown

It was built in 1933 and its official name is President Dutra (BR-116). It is the most dangerous road and one of the longest in Brazil and the world. BR-116 connects Porto Allegre with Rio de Janeiro and crosses the cities of Curitiba and Sao Paulo. The death road nickname emerged after the natives baptized with that name one of its most dangerous sections "Rodovia da Morte", precisely because of its high danger.

In some of its sections it looks like a lunar landscape because of the amount of craters that the neglected pavement has. Car accidents occur almost daily. There are very narrow sections without guardrails and tunnels difficult to cross.

Frequently, tourists are docked by highway bandits.

5. James Dalton Road (Alaska)

Length: 669 km (415.6 miles)
Maximum height: 1,444 m. (4,739 ft.)

This is another fast road with hundreds of deaths in its history.

It is located in the state of Alaska and seems to lead to nothing. It is a lonely state highway with terrible weather. In some of its sections it presents potholes and bad steps; it is also common to find debris, which strong winds drag to the track, as well as animals.

It is also known by the official name of Alaska Route 11. Here the problem is not the height but its extreme weather, since it remains frozen almost all year, that's why it is called the “Ice Truck Route”. To drive through it, you have to be a seasoned and brave driver, since most of the road is loose gravel. If you stay stranded in it, the cold can kill you in a short time.

4. "Killer Highway" (Philippines)

Length: 12.4 km (7.7 miles)
Maximum height: unknown

Unlike other dangerous roads in the world, surrounded by very high cliffs at remote sites, the Commonwealth Avenue (Don Mariano Marcos Avenue), is a road located in the city of Quezon, an important center of commercial, political and cultural activities of Philippines.

Nor is it a narrow road because in fact it is the widest in the country; reaches in some sections up to 18 lanes. Nor is it very long, since it is only 12 kilometers long. Of course, this avenue is a true guillotine for motorists, motorists and cyclists. In it thousands of people have lost their lives, since it was opened at the late 60s.

Its high danger derives from the lack of regulations and application of driving rules by local authorities.

3. Zoji La Pass (India)

Length: 9 km (5.6 miles)
Maximum height: 3,528 meters (11,575 ft.)

The dangers faced by the daring drivers who travel this dirt road are many: the extreme weather, the lack of guardrails, their narrowness and the absence of traffic signs. But what is most terrifying is to be surrounded by cliffs of more than 3000 meters deep, because the road furrows very high and steep peaks.

This winding road with dozens of curves that can make you dizzy, is located among the highest peaks of the planet, in the Kashmir region.

Through it the cities of Srinagar and Leh are connected, right in the middle of the western Himalayas. Luckily, it is a relatively short road since it only measures 9 kilometers, but crossing it becomes almost eternal.

The Zoji Pass was built in 1947 for military purposes and has since been kept open, but in the winter months it is closed due to the forts and the ground conditions.

2. Road from Killar to Pangi (India)

Length: 114 km (70.8 miles)
Maximum height: 2,524 meters (8,280 ft.)

This dangerous rocky road in India was built hundreds of years ago. It has steep cliffs and lacks guardrails. It is an open, unpaved gravel road, in which drivers constantly face bad weather. The most dangerous section of the road is about 112 km (70 miles). The rain in this region causes the road to get slippery through the mud and there are landslides and fractures on the road. Therefore, it is open only in the summer months to avoid greater risks of falling to its frightening precipices. When passing through it - especially in the most dangerous stretches up to 600 meters, where there is only a rustic vehicle – you have the feeling that at any time the vehicle may slip to the bottom.

1. "Road of death" (Bolivia)

Length: 80 km (49.7 miles)
Maximum height: 4,650 meters (15,256 feet)

This winding road lined with deep cliffs, is considered as one of the two most dangerous in the world by various authors. It is located north of the mountainous region of Yungas in Bolivia and leads from La Paz to the small town of Coroico. It is not uncommon to see the fatal accidents that occur on this road, sometimes due to landslides and sometimes due to recklessness of truck and bus drivers trying to overtake.

The most common dangers that this road presents on a daily basis are landslides (not paved), along with the shedding of rocks that sometimes obstruct the road or crush vehicles; In addition to fog and rain, deep cliffs, the narrowness of the road and the lack of protective barriers on the sides of the road.

The ‘Way of Death’ does not get its name due to a subtle occurrence of those who baptized it. It is that until 1994 there were about 300 deaths per year that is almost one< every day and a half. Its cliffs are up to about 900 meters deep (about 3000 feet), not to mention the more than 200 sharp bends that you will find along the road.

Currently, the most dangerous part of the route is avoided by taking another paved and wider road, so the number of accidents has decreased significantly. But, if you are one of those who like to defy danger, this is the ideal adventure in the Bolivian Andes.

Sources: Wikipedia.com / wanderwisdom.com