3. The North Yungas Road in Bolivia connects La Paz with
Coroico. This 69 kilometre road is infamous as being the
Death Road. Navigated mostly by trucks and buses, the road is
just 3 metres wide leading up to La Cumbre resting at the
elevation of 4650 metres. This hazardous road has claimed the
lives of more than 200 travellers in an annual basis as it is a
single lane that bears no guard rail. For such a record, the
American Development Bank called this road the most
dangerous one back in 1995. It still continues to top the charts.
5. A curvaceous road linking the town of Andalsnes
to the village of Valldal, Trollstigen in Norway
provides spectacular scenic view to the travelers
as well as the dangers lurking along its steep
serpentine curves. Most vehicle drivers get
subsumed in the breathtaking beauty that the
region displays falling prey to the hair-pin curves
and losing control of the steering wheel. It
certainly stands true to its name which means
“troll’s path.”
7. Lying isolated in the Taihang Mountains, the Guoliang Road
Tunnel connects the village of Guoliang with the rest of the
world. The tunnel was carved out way back in 1972, taking
forever to complete as the sharp cliffs claimed many
villagers’ lives that set out to accomplish the task. This road
does not tolerate any mistakes on the part of the motorists as
it stands at the height of 15 feet while its width calculates up
to just 12 feet. A trip through this tunnel has proved to be life-
threatening time and again.
9. A mountain pass in Andes connecting Chile and
Argentina, the Los Caracoles is a perilous trench
stretches over an elevation of 3176 metres with no
safety barriers. Lorries traverse the area quite
often rendering the pass awfully risky for
motorists. Garnished with thick layers of snow
and numerous hairpin bends, the pass qualifies the
list of Top 10 Dangerous Roads in the world.
11. Catering to the astounding sight of Italy’s Eastern Alps,
Stelvio Pass Road is one of the Scariest Places to drive
through. With a high elevated plane, gradient of 14% and
60 switchbacks falling within 15 miles, the road dons a
dreadfully precarious character for road trips. Built by the
Austrian Empire in order to join the former Austrian
province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria in 1820,
the alpine road covers a climb of 1871 metres, making it
a challenge for vehicle drivers.
13. Also known as the Highway from Hell, the Lena Highway
was built in stages from 1925 to 1964 linking Yakutsk
with the Trans- Siberian Railway. The stretch transforms
into a mud-road during the rains, making it impossible to
ply on. Though a federal highway, this dirt road gulps
down smaller cars completely. The vehicles have been
said to have waited for entire weeks for the motor line-ups
to clear the way.
15. Notoriously known as the Widow-maker, the A537
in Great Britain is a meandering route between
Buxton and Macclesfield. Aided with fierce winds,
blind turns, steep embankments and an
overwhelming bucolic environment, the Cat and
Fiddle road has staked its claim on more than 34
mishaps. Motorcyclists have parted with their lives
far too often while driving through the A537.
17. Beginning at the Elliott Highway and winding towards the Arctic
Ocean, the James Dalton Highway is a humungous load of danger
for the faint hearted drivers. This 414 mile gravel road is the main
supply route for the Prudhoe Bay oilfields creating a menace for
the motorists as they are forced to share the slippery road with
trucks and large tractor-trailers speeding down. With ice
smothering the highway during the winters and the outbreak of
whiteout storms, the visibility tends to become zero taking a serious
toll on the vehicles journey through such atrocities.
19. A nightmare for those who fear heights, Highway
1 runs along the Pacific coastline in California.
The road clings to the cliffs with only a barrier rail
separating the traveler vehicle from the sharp
edges dropping off straight into the ocean. Drivers
are suggested to be on high alert while crossing
the Bixby Bridge which is 280 feet above the
Bixby Creek Gorge.
21. Located near Sospel in France, Col de Turini is
a mountain pass in the Alps, sporting an
elevation of 1607 metres. Featuring as the most
daring stage of the Monte Carlo Rally, the pass
has a series of 34 switchbacks making the
journey a knotty but stimulating experience for
motorcyclists. The route is not recommended
for those who are fond of secure driving.