Top 10 World’s Most Dangerous Drives
Written by Chris Rowlands of MoneySupermarket.com’s Car Insurance team.
There are many roads around the world that bring fear to the eyes of those who have traversed them, but which are the most dangerous and what qualifies a road to be given a name like “Death Road” or “Devils Backbone”?
For some thrill seekers the idea of travelling to various locations around the globe and mountain biking or driving along roads with peril at every turn is too much to resist. Many tourists flock to these locations every year to experience the adrenaline fuelled speed, twists, turns and danger of some of the most unforgiving roads the world has to offer.
Here’s my top 10 ordered by danger level:
1: North Jungas Road (Road of death); definitely deserving of the “most dangerous road in the world” title, a 61km stretch of steep, high altitude road with no guard rails and 2000ft drop off’s, once thought to be responsible for 2-300 deaths per year.
Bolivia "Road Of Death"
Traffic Jam!!
2: Sichuan Highway; a massive 2412km stretch of highly elevated road with landslides and rock avalanches a regular occurrence. Crossing many spectacular rivers and with scenic views a plenty, a beautiful but deadly road. Responsible for claiming the lives of between 3.9-7.6% per 100,000 of China’s population between 1985 and 2005.
3: Lena Highway (Highway from Hell); in one of the coldest areas Russia has to offer – and leading to one of the coldest cities on the planet – a hazardous road in winter but much more so in summer when it floods and becomes extremely muddy. Traffic jams numbering 1000′s of cars occur when the road becomes impassable and looting, kidnapping and general crime is rife during this period.
4: Guoliang Tunnel Road; Built by a tribe from the Taihing Mountains – and responsible for the death of many of them during its construction – the magnificent road hewn from rock is particularly scenic but very unforgiving of mistakes with sheer drops and stone walls combined with beautiful scenery to distract you from your careful passage.
Gouliang Tunnel
5: James Dalton Highway; Featured on the popular “Ice Truckers” TV series, an extremely remote road with hazards including flying rocks from passing lorries, a slippery road surface, potholes galore and little to no visibility at times. Not for the faint hearted or those without a 4 wheel drive filled with supplies and extra fuel.
James Dalton Highway
6: Halsema Highway; 241km long and largely unpaved, a narrow road with very few guard rails and steep cliff faces with drop offs of 1000ft+. Rock and mud slides are common and many a vehicle overturns here. Virtually impassable during the wet season and definitely deserving of being labelled as one of the most dangerous roads in the world.
Halsema Highway
7: Van Zyl’s Pass; more of a route made over time than a road but extremely dangerous none-the-less. A perilous steep track with rocks and boulders seemingly strewn across the path. Ravines waiting to swallow up your vehicle and badlands make this a difficult and arduous journey, but the views over the Marienfluss valley (carved by a glacier) are well worth the trek.
8: Karakoram Highway; sometimes referred to as the “Ninth Wonder of the World”, a collaboration between China and Pakistan spanning 1300km in length and responsible for the deaths of 892 workers during its construction. It connects the 2 countries and has the title of the highest paved road in the world. It still remains perilous due to landslides; one of which recently caused part of the road to be closed when it created a 22km long, 100 metre deep lake.
9: Leh-Manali Highway; a 478km long road winding between some of the world’s highest mountain passes at between 2-3 miles above sea level. An extremely perilous road with dangers ranging from severe snowstorms, landslides and little to no guard rails. Not one to be attempted without a 4 wheel drive and a skilled driver.
10: Mex-40 (Devils Backbone); around a 5-6 hour drive and with many – but well signed – hazards, this narrow road with tight curves and sheer drops with no guardrails. Trucks travelling on the route require full use of the road in places so it can be a little hair-raising at times when traversing particularly tight corners with only a metre to the right of your wheel.
