We came up with our list of the world’s most dangerous roads by consulting the experts who have driven some of these harrowing highways and by checking out other lists from the World Most Dangerous Roads travel documentary TV series. These 18 roads hug the edges of cliffs with no guard rail, are covered in ice, frequently flood, feature 18 lanes of manic traffic, and have sections of their infrastructure that are crumbling that would test even the best road trip cars. Attempting to tackle one of the most dangerous roads in the world is not for the faint of heart and not for the kind of driver who struggles to find reverse!
At 1,532 metres above sea level, Col du Chaussy in the Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France is a high mountain pass that starts with the famous “Les Lacets de Montvernier.” This special stretch is only about 3.2km long but features 17 hairpin turns as you climb up an actual cliff. There’s a small concrete barrier as you zigzag upward but this improbable road, while impossibly picturesque, is still one of the most dangerous roads in the world.
Approximately 50 people die here every year, making a drive on the 250km Karnali Highway in the Himalayas of West Nepal a literal death wish. It is one of the most dangerous roads in the world even when it’s not monsoon season because the surface is extremely dusty making visibility poor and includes narrow stretches, landslides, falling rocks, flooded sections, potholes, huge drops off steep cliffs, and significant bumpiness. And now it is only a road passable, at best, during the day as the police have banned driving at night due to the high number of fatal accidents.
Unlike other roads and highways on this list, this one isn’t perched on the edge of a mountain or near a crumbling bridge. In fact, it’s a wide urban highway that’s just 12km long. Eighteen lanes wide to be specific and due to heavy traffic, poor drainage which brings floods on the avenue, and the constant presence of motorbikes and pedestrians that tour buses can’t even see, this road has earned the tragic nickname “Killer Highway” because of the many accidents and fatalities suffered here.
Any highway called Rodovia de Morte or Highway of Death is bound to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world. Stretching from Fortaleza in the north of the country to the southeast edge along the Uruguay border, this 4,490-km highway is the second-longest in Brazil and while it is advertised as being completely paved, that designation is dubious as much of BR-116 is in poor condition. But some cracked asphalt is not what makes it dangerous. Unstable weather and steep cliffs regularly cause major accidents and because the Highway of Death passes through some of Brazil’s most poverty-stricken areas, the threat of gangs lurk in several spots along this busy route.
Taroko Gorge Road is one of the most dangerous roads in the world because it is carved out of a mountain and runs through one too. This popular 19km stretch in Taiwan is spectacular so you can expect a parade of tour buses, cars, scooters, bicyclists and pedestrians all sharing the same narrow road, and all trying to navigate blind corners and terrifying bends that look too small to fit around. If you find yourself on Taroko Gorge Road, you better hope the weather is fair, otherwise, you might suffer through landslides, floods and falling rocks that make sections impassable.
If you fear landslides and have vertigo, it’s best to steer clear of D915 in Turkey. This challenging road is located on the boundary of the Black Sea region in the northeast of the country and is extreme because, in part, there are no guardrails to separate you from a massive drop. In fact, no one but professional drivers should probably attempt this, although the photographic payoff is immense! The most iconic part of Bayburt-of Road is called Derebaşı Turns. It has 13 hairpins that will have you climbing from 1,712m above sea level to 2,035m above sea level in just 4.8km with a steep grade up to 10 percent!
This 32km, one-lane road is framed by rock on one side and sheer cliff drops on the other. It’s as stunning as it is terrifying for nervous drivers heading from Kapalua to Wailuku. The legendary Kahekili Highway is famous for snaking turns and narrow passages.
The constant threat of rock slides, mudslides and avalanches would make any road one of the most dangerous, but add in treacherous switchbacks on cliffs and winding through peaks, and you have the 2,140km Sichuan-Tibet highway connecting China with Tibet. The statistics of fatalities are staggering, with 75 of every 1,000 losing their life on this road built nearly 4.8km above sea level in the early 1950s, while passing Buddhist monasteries and herds of yaks.
How many hairpin turns can you fit into 11km? Turns out, 99 of them! This short stretch in China’s Tianmen Mountain National Park is chock full of sheer drops and twists constructed up to 1300 metres in the sky. If straight, you could drive it in less than 10 minutes, but what makes 99-Bend Road one of the most dangerous roads in the world is the elevation, the turns, and the sheer lack of anything to keep you from plunging to your death! Not to mention the constant threat of earthquakes in this part of the world!
One of the world’s most isolated and dangerous roads, this icy finger of tarmac was built in 1974 as a supply route for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Tackle this route and you’ll need to pack plenty of supplies; there are just three towns on the (creepily) 666 kilometre route, one of which is named Deadhorse. To complicate matters, large sections have fallen into disrepair, and its most famous claim to fame is a reminder that this isn’t a highway you want to break down on: It’s the longest stretch of road in North America without roadside services of any kind.
This twisting ribbon of coastal concrete might look beautiful, but don’t be fooled; it’s one of Norway’s most dangerous roads when the wild Atlantic comes too close! Drive along it and you’ll feel as though you’re on a rollercoaster ride, thanks to the sharp turns, curves, and twists. When the weather’s bad though – as it often is in this part of the world – visibility can disappear in a matter of seconds. And then you’ve got huge, thundering walls of water which regularly crash over the road’s barriers.
Scarily, this narrow road clinging to the side of a Bolivian mountain was once the main route into the country’s capital, La Paz, which holds the honour of the world’s highest capital city. Authorities eventually built a shiny new highway, but locals still speed down this road that also serves as a popular mountain biking spot. There are several reasons not to look down. One of the most unnerving sights is the dozens of makeshift memorials dedicated to those who’ve lost their lives here. The road has a total drop of 3657m, and even today, between 200 and 300 people die on the road every year.
Leave the monster truck at home for this one. The inside of this 1.2km-long road tunnel is just 4.8 metres and just under four metres wide. You’ll find it in the Taihang Mountains of Henan Province, China. It was constructed in 1977 by 13 locals, although the reason that it took five years to build is that several villagers died on the job. There are 30 “windows” carved out of the rock, but we don’t recommend stopping for a selfie. And if the thought of driving through this particular tunnel gives you chills, consider this: Before it was built, locals from the village it connects to used a ladder to get back and forth.
At 9km and 3,505 metres above sea level, this Himalayan highway connects Ladakh and Kashmir. The uneven road surface means it’s only really suitable for off-road vehicles, and during the colder months, wind, snow and rain make this road more challenging. This is another place where it’s probably best not to look down; at some points, there are only several thousand metres of nothingness between you and the valleys below.
The Karakoram Highway connects China and Pakistan and at 4,700m above sea level, it’s the highest paved road in the world. A total of 82 workers died during construction, mostly due to rockslides, which remain an ever-present hazard to this day. There are no barriers, and many of the drivers who’ve had accidents on the road have been victims of altitude sickness or possibly distracted by the spectacular views of K2. The good news? There are plans to widen the road from 9.7m to over 30m. The bad news? Authorities believe that this could see the number of vehicles triple.
This road certainly doesn’t offer much in the way of views. There’s dust, dust and more dust, and hardly any road signs to point you in the right direction. This 1,850km-long track in Western Australia is regarded as the world’s most remote road, and you’ll need three weeks to drive it from start to finish. Doing this road trip during the warmer months is almost impossible due to the searing heat, and drivers are advised to travel in multi-vehicle convoys. The road is in a bad state of repair, which is why drivers are urged to leave room not just for food and drink but for spare parts, too.
This unpaved road was carved out of the side of a New Zealand mountain 140 years ago, and today, it’s so dangerous that standard drivers’ insurance won’t cover you should you run into trouble. Encounter another vehicle and it’s highly likely you’ll have to reverse for up to 3.2km before you find a passing point. The miners who built it had only hand drills and gunpowder at their disposal, so it’s understandable that it took 20 years to complete. Don’t be surprised if it looks familiar; the road was a backdrop for Mission: Impossible Fallout and several Lord of the Rings movies.
A narrow, winding road stuck to the side of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, the Tizi-n-Test was blasted out of the rock in the 1920s and became the first modern road link between Marrakech and the Souss plains. The steep drops mean it’s best avoided if you suffer from vertigo, and local drivers are known to whiz along it at frightening speeds, ignoring rules of the road followed in other parts of the world. The lack of barriers means it should only be attempted in daylight, and during the winter landslides and avalanches occur on an almost daily basis. On the plus side, you’ll enjoy beautiful views of the Atlas mountains, the gorges of Moulay Brahim, and the Souss Valley.
This article originally appeared on Readers’ Digest.