10 Most Dangerous Roads around the World

10. Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China

Sichuan Tibet Highway in China.

The Sichuan-Tibet Highway, a high-elevation road between Chengdu and Tibet where landslides and rock avalanches are common, is undoubtedly part of the problem. It is 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. It’s one of the world’s riskiest roads. With 48 sharp turns, it’s one of the most dangerous roads in the world.

9. The Stelvio Pass, Italy

The Stelvio Pass in Italy (Flickr/damianmorysfotos).

Stelvio Pass located in Italy, at 9045 feet is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, slightly below the Col de l’Iseran 9088 feet. Some roads look a lot more dangerous than they really are. With more hairpins than Helena Bonham Carter, the Stelvio Pass looks like a child’s scribble over the hills. The road climbs almost two kilometers and, with just a low concrete barrier between you and the steep mountain drop, it’s best not to look down. A bit too much speed on one of the road’s 60 180-degree corners could spell disaster.

8. Los Caracoles Pass, Chile

Chile Los Caracoles Pass.

This road passes through mountain Andreas between Chile and Argentina.The road has many steep slopes and sharp turns without fences security. It’s one of the most challenging roads in the world. The road is snow-covered almost all the year. Snow together with the complex natural landscape requires extreme patience and driving skill to drive in emergency situations. However, this road is maintained in working condition, which significantly reduces the number of accidents on it. Trucks and even double-decker tourist buses travel daily on this road. Beside one of the most dangerous roads, it’s one of the most scenic drives in the world.

7. Skippers Canyon Road, New Zealand

Skipper’s Canyon Road in New Zealand.

The Skippers Canyon Road, located in New Zealand, is unbelievably scary as it’s made from a very narrow cut in the middle of a sheer cliff face. This winding road actually requires a special permit to drive. If you do manage to get permission though, be ready for a slippery challenge and good luck if you run into someone coming from the other direction. This gravel road was carved by miners over 140 years ago. It’s so dangerous that rental car insurance won’t be honored if you drive on it.

6. The Zoji Pass, India

India’s Zoji Pass.

Zoji La is a high mountain pass in India, located on the Indian National Highway 1D between Srinagar and Leh. The pass provides a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir. It runs at an elevation of approximately 3,528 metres, and is the second highest pass after Fotu La. It is often closed during winter. But it’s a lifeline that keeps the people of Ladakh in touch with the rest of the world. Being one of the most dangerous roads, it is nothing more than a crumbling, single-lane dirt trail.

5. Guoliang Tunnel Road, China

Guoliang Tunnel in China.

The Guoliang Tunnel is carved along the side of and through a mountain in China. It may be hard to see in the photo, this road was hollowed out of the side of a mountain by several villagers from the town of Guoliang. Before the construction of this mountain pass, the village was cut of from the rest of civilization by the surrounding cliffs. Although it doesn’t see much traffic, due to its construction it is inherently fairly dangerous.”The road that does not tolerate mistakes,”It’s windows give daring drivers a peak at the drop just outside, which often has no barriers at all.

4. The Karakoram Highway, between China and Pakistan

Karakoram Highway, between China and Pakistan.

Named the “Friendship Highway” by the governments who built it. The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an elevation of 4,693 meters. It’s prone to landslides and floods and to make matters worse, the road is unpaved in Pakistan. But it is still a tourist attraction, passing through some spectacular gorges along the old Silk Road. Nearly 900 workers died while constructing the road. What is often referred to as the “eighth wonder of the world.”

3. James Dalton Highway, Alaska

James Dalton Highway, Alaska (pinterest.com).

The Dalton Highway is a 667 km road in Alaska. It begins at the Elliott Highway, north of Fairbanks, and ends at Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. Although appearing serene at first glance, is filled with potholes, small flying rocks carried by fast winds, and worst of all it runs through the middle of nowhere. What makes this one of the most dangerous roads, is its 386 km stretch with no gas stations, restaurants, hotels, or any other basic services.

2. Jalalabad–Kabul Road, Afghanistan

Jalalabad–Kabul Road, Afghanistan.

Many roads have been dubbed “most dangerous,” but the 65-kilometer stretch of highway from Jalalabad to Kabul has more claim than most, snaking through Taliban territory. But it’s not the threat of insurgency that makes Highway so dangerous. It’s a combination of the narrow, winding lanes that climb up to 600 meters through the Kabul gorge and the reckless Afghan drivers trying to overtake the heavily-burdened haulage trucks.

1. North Yungas Road, Bolivia

The North Yungas Highway in Bolivia.

Also known as the “Road of Death” in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger and the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the “world’s most dangerous road”. One estimate is that 200 to 300 travelers are killed yearly along the road. The road includes cross markings on many of the spots where vehicles have fallen. It is a regular occurrence for buses and trucks to go tumbling to the valley below, especially when they try passing each other.