We use roads almost every day of our lives, but there are some roads that will stay with you (potentially in your nightmares) if you drive on them even once. So check out our list of the most dangerous roads in the world.
7. Eshima Ohashi Bridge, Japan Located in Japan, the Eshima Ohashi Bridge connects the cities of Matsue and Sakai-Minato. We can only hope that residents of these two cities get their brakes checked regularly since the bridge has a gradient of 6.1 percent on one side (and 5.1 percent on the other!). The reason for the steep curve is the fishing boats that must pass underneath. At 144-feet (43m) tall, the actual incline isn't quite as steep as it comes off in photos. In fact, seen from its side angles, it can actually look like a normal bridge. I guess that’s why drivers are willing to give it a go day-in and day-out!
6. Karakoram Highway, Pakistan Karakoram Highway connects Pakistan and Chinaby passing through the Karakoram Mountain range. This bad boy is not only one of the highest paved roads in the world (although on the Pakistan side it actually remains unpaved!), this 745 miles (1200km) journey is an adventure in its own right. Built in the ’60s and ’70s (yeah, it took a couple decades), the pass goes up to 15,400 ft (4,693 m) and was even dangerous while it was being constructed – over 800 workers from Pakistan and over 80 from China lost their lives during its construction. Now, the most serious dangers are landslides and floods. Of course, avalanches and heavy snow arent unheard of either. But, with incredible views, including brilliant views of the renowned K2 Mountain, tourists continue to battle altitude sickness to make the treacherous trip each year.
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5. Yungas Road, Bolivia Commonly called “The Road of Death”, it is difficult to imagine just why anyone would ever travel on Bolivia’s Yungas Road. At only 35 miles (56 km) long, the road connects Paz and Coroico. Yet, despite its short length, it was given its frightful nickname after the Inter-American Development Bank claimed it was the world’s most dangerous road back in 1995. The name doesn’t seem far from the truth, with between 200 and 300 travelers on the road being killed in a given year, according to a 2006 estimate. With an over 15,000 (4572 m) foot descent(or ascent, depending on your route), the road is used by locals in cars and trucks and is often considered a bucket-list trip for cyclists from overseas.
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4. The Jalalabad-Kabul Highway, Afghanistan A part of a major highway system, the GrandTrunk Road, this stretch of highway may have the highest claim on lives of them all. Yet the exact number of deaths is unknown since “most people stopped counting a long time ago”, as reported by The Time’s DexterFilkins. At 95 miles (153 km) in length, it is not the 1900 ft (600 m) high cliffs that cause deaths, but the reckless driving that causes cars to spin off them. Of course, road conditions do not help the situation – although paved when originally built in 1969, the road is now best described as gravel. To put the danger of the road into perspective, the words of a fabric shop owner near the highway ring loud and clear: “The fighting with the Taliban lasts only for a day or two, but the crashes are every day.”
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3. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China China’s Sichuan-Tibet Highway includes an a16,568 foot (5050m) high pass (and a narrow one at that), as well as incredible views and the chance to see Tibetan villages nestled into the mountains. It’s the latter that keeps tourists traveling the road despite its relative danger. At 1,330 miles (2,142 km) in length, the stretch of the highway usually takes at least 15 days to navigate (safely). While opened back in 1954, the number of deaths on this road has increased sharply in recent years. For instance, deaths in 1985 were 3.9 per100,000 and had already reached 7.6 per 100,000 in 2005. The sharp increase is likely due to the increase in cars
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2. The Leh-Manali Highway, India Open only during the summer months, the Leh-Manali Highway spans 297 miles (478 km) of the Himalayan Mountains in India. With sparse access to resources and extremely volatile weather, it is recommended to bring plenty of extra fuel and prepare for the worst on this road. With mountain passes averaging over 17,000feet (5100m), the road is actually well-maintained, since it holds a strategic place between China and Pakistan. This means that the Indian Army’s BorderRoads Organization is in charge of the road’s upkeep – they make sure the snow is cleared during the summer months, for instance. Despite their support, the road is known for its serious traffic jams, difficult terrain, and – of course – plenty of landslides. Drivers on the road have remarked that seeing the results of crashes a few hundred m down the cliff below them is a stark reminder to drive at a crawl, averaging 9 to 12 mph (15 to 20 km) in some spots.
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1. James Dalton Highway, Alaska, USA Built in 1974, Alaska’s James Dalton Highway is 414 miles (666 km) of gravel in some of the most difficult conditions in the world. To begin with, the road only has three villages(and therefore three places to fuel up) along its route, meaning that a jaunt on this road will include just you, your (hopefully working) car, and the harsh wilderness of Alaska. With a high point of 4,739 feet (1444 m), the road is also known for its ability to kick up huge amounts of gravel, mud, and – worst all – dust, which reduces visibility to hazardous levels. As the road is a supply route for the Trans-AlaskaPipeline System, drivers are warned to stay out of the way of the massive oil trucks that pass along with it. Still, tourists who crave adventure have called this highway “the ultimate road trip”.
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