What high speed, unpoliced road terrifies travelers in Brazil?
Which curving mountain passes frighten motorists in the Himalayas?
Find out as we take a look at the Most Dangerous Roads in the World.
Number 13 Road of the 52 Tunnels Originally built in the early 20th century
as a military trail through the compact mountain range of Pasubio, this Italian road is easily
one of the toughest to follow in Europe.
The combination of loose rock and gravel along with thick fog and battle-ruined cliffs create
a lethal obstacle course for the average traveler.
This road was constructed in just a 10-month time span and was considered a marvelous masterpiece
in engineering at the time.
But it hasn't changed much since, and the towering height of the minimalist cliffside
trail sends chills down the spines of those ascending the summit.
Unsurprisingly, this road features 52 different tunnels, all with specific names relating
to the Italian military that originally used it.
These tunnels are typically just 6 to 7 feet wide and tall and only allow for people to
travel by foot or mule, which may work out for the best.
Attempting to drive on a path like the Road of the 52 Tunnels is an accident waiting to
happen!
Number 12 Federal Highway 101 This nightmarish federal highway spans the
Mexican state of Tamaulipas and while the driving conditions aren't especially dangerous,
the potential encounters that await travelers are perilous to say the least.
Gangs, bandits and illicit contraband all roam along this road, with crimes like smuggling,
kidnapping, and worse being a frequent problem.
Most drivers now traverse miles out of the way to avoid Federal Highway 101 in hopes
of dodging the horrific acts of the region's cartels, making this one of the world's most
treacherous roads.
Number 11 BR-116 As a federal highway of Brazil, BR-116 is
well traveled as it spans the eastern coast of the tropical country.
Being the longest completely paved road in the nation it would seem a likely candidate
for the safest as well.
Unfortunately, this conclusion assumes too much.
This highway is consistently jam-packed with truckers and unstable weather conditions paired
with a winding, curvy road make this route a nightmarish obstacle course for the average
driver.
To worsen the matter, police seldom patrol BR-116 and crimes involving human trafficking
and armed gangs are a frequent, unanswered evil along the highway.
All around, this is not a road you want to be stuck on.
Even with a fully paved road, this path on BR-116 is certainly more trouble than it's
worth.
Number 10 James Dalton Highway While many of the roads on this list suffer
from high traffic, the James Dalton Highway represents the other end of the spectrum as
one of the most isolated highways on Earth.
This two-way gravel path reaches across Alaska for 414 miles, or the ominous equivalent of
666 kilometers.
Throughout the span of the drive along this road, only three towns can be found.
Because of this proper preparation is highly necessary to make this road trip.
The majority of drivers traveling along this highway are truckers working for the nearby
Trans-Alaska Pipe System.
These motorists are familiar with the dangers of this drive, but those without Dalton Highway
experience risk being stranded outside the reach of civilization.
And with poor road conditions, weather, and visibility being additional issues, its recommended
that drivers take their time on this frigid Alaskan road.
Number 9 Atlantic Road Widely praised, the Atlantic Road is just
over 5 miles long and extends across the midwestern coastline of Norway, connecting various islands
and archipelagos along a singular route.
Requiring more than 20 years of planning, six years of construction, and 122 million
Norwegian kroner , this road earned its accolades on sheer effort alone.
It has been named as a cultural heritage site, a National Tourist Route, "the world's best
road trip", and the "Norwegian Construction of the Century".
Yet, despite these titles, traveling along Atlantic Road can be far from a joyride.
The road rides like a rollercoaster with twisting hills weaved over the waves of the ocean,
dipping in and out of the scattered landmasses.
Weather in the region can be unpredictable, causing high, powerful waves to come crashing
onto the highway, often accompanied by winds of up to 30 miles per hour!
Number 8 Guoliang Tunnel Road Coursing through the stone face of a mountain,
this road is named for the nearby town and villagers that constructed it almost five
decades ago.
Originally built to allow easier access to the outside world, Guoliang Tunnel Road was
carved with just hammers, chisels, and steel by a meer 13 villagers.
This fact alone makes it one of the most dangerous roads in the world, let alone China.
But at just 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide, with more than 30 open windows to depths below,
this curving tunnel road features a whole slew of dangers.
Making the trip on this route becomes much more difficult at night or in the rain as
the various windows, and stretches of open path can become distorted, and even the most
minor of mistakes can result in fatal consequences.
Number 7 Stelvio Pass The serpentine road of Stelvio Pass snakes
down the Ortler Alps of Italy as one of the highest mountain roads in Europe.
Zig-zagging its way down a steep incline, this road features almost 50 sharp, narrow
turns as drivers descend to the base of the mountain.
Accidents occur here often, either by locals hastily trying to make their way down in record
time, or by tourists underestimating the difficulty of the drive.
Either way, motorists attempting to make this scenic Italian drive would do best to take
caution.
Car and truck drivers aren't the only ones who risk riding this route, though, as cyclists
and motorcyclists also race down this winding path annually as well.
While accidents with these riders occur less often, the danger is still very real thanks
to Stelvio Pass's hairpin turns.
Number 6 Kabul-Jalalabad Highway One of the most important trails used in the
humanitarian and reconstruction efforts for Afghan refugees is the Kabul-Jalalabad Highway
which threads itself along the Kabul River Gorge.
This chasm has served as a final resting place for so many motorists that locals can no longer
keep up.
Rising more than two thousand feet above the Kabul River, the highway nearly guarantees
a fatal end to anyone unfortunate enough to go tumbling down.
The sharp turns of the road offer little time to react should another vehicle come racing
around the bend.
Between incredibly slow moving trucks and impatient, reckless smaller vehicles, the
pass becomes a series of dangerous stunts as local drivers attempt to speed through
the traffic.
Number 5 Zoji La A combination of mud and snow make this Indian
mountain pass the pinnacle of a pain in the neck.
Even when the weather is clear, though, this road is still highly risky to drive.
A single, crumbling lane courses through the Himalayan range, separating the valleys of
Kashmir and Dras [drahs].
Daring truck drivers make this trip fairly often, but intense snowfall has led the pass
to close for the majority of the winter.
To survive this treacherous trip along some of the world's highest summits, travelers
need both constant attention to detail along with a sturdy vehicle capable of ascending
the dirt trail.
If you should be able to make the trip, though, the view has been said to be worth the risk
with crisp, white mountains contrasting with thick, verdant patches of jungle below.
Number 4 Karakoram Highway More than 15 thousand feet above sea level,
the Karakoram Highway is an international road connecting China and Pakistan and thought
to be one of the world's toughest driving inclines.
To build the road alongside an ancient Silk Road path, almost 900 workers lost their lives
in accidents across the 27 years it took to construct, either to landslides or accidental
falls from the mountains.
Between those perils, avalanches and heavy snowfall, drivers face a harrowing journey
requiring not just great driving skills, but a state of the art vehicle as well.
The view of the nearby summit of K2 is enthralling and attracts many travelers to this road,
but Karakoram Highway also tends to offer a narrow road and altitude sickness as well,
making the drive and staying within your slim margin of error all the more difficult.
Number 3 Fairy Meadows Road While many of the roads on this list feature
some sort of actual construction, the Fairy Meadows Road of Pakistan seems more like a
path meant for groups of adventurous mountain climbers than a pass for motorists.
A narrow dirt road, bending along the the mountain range leads to Nanga Parbat , the
9th tallest mountain in the world and 2nd largest in Pakistan behind K2.
Barricades are sorely missed from this road, leaving drivers to cruise around the edge
of the cliff with a thin margin of error.
Luckily, as a paid toll road, traffic here is sparse, but the elements already provide
plenty of danger.
Fairy Meadows Road leads up to a nearly 8000-foot ascent, making snowfall, high altitude and
cold weather all factors to take into consideration.
High winds and avalanches can complicate matters further, either closing the pass or creating
hazardous obstacles, even damaging the crumbling road in the process.
At some point, the road will become so narrow that travelers will have to proceed on foot
or by bicycle, where the path leads straight to the alpine forested valley known as Fairy
Meadows.
Number 2 Road of Bones An unpaved Siberian road through one of the
coldest areas of Russia delivers motorists directly to the city of Yakutsk . The city
itself is built on permafrost and as such, the winter is actually the safest time of
year to traverse the 760 mile road as it's more stable when the ground is frozen solid.
Come summertime, though, this region is prone to heavy bouts of rainfall and the road becomes
a swamp.
This experience results in long traffic jams that spread for miles as motorists attempt
to ford the muddy roadway, with drivers stuck in traffic making easy prey for thieves.
The dark modern reality of the highway matches the grim history of the Road of Bones as its
construction resulted in the fatalities of tens of thousands of Soviet-era prisoners.
Number 1 North Yungas Road Also called the "Road of Fate," North Yungas
Road was named as the "world's most dangerous road" by the Inter-American Development Bank
in 1995.
This gorgeous mountainside route rises more than fifteen thousand feet and ranging in
terrain from the plateaus of the Andes to the luscious foliage of the rainforest.
With its narrow, semi-single lane along a cliffside, North Yungas Road is undoubtedly
perilous with between two and three hundred motorists falling victim to lethal car accidents
annually.
Which of these roads would you dare to drive?
Let us know which one and why in the comments below!