Learning to drive is one of the first steps we take in our lives towards adulthood, and while it’s completely exciting, it can also be eerily dangerous! Most of all wake up every week, get ready and drive to work on the same roads we go on every day. Even if it’s not work, maybe it’s school or a friend’s house, either way, there are paths that we get super familiar with that we can almost drive it with our eyes closed. Well, the following 25 roads will make you find some newfound appreciation for the safe and ordinary roads you drive each day.
These 25 roads are some of the most dangerous roads in the word. Everything from a high risk of accidents and collisions, to a risk of natural disasters like landslides and flooding to poor construction or maintenance that make it nearly un-drivable. Simply put, these roads are BAD. You definitely do not want to try driving on these roads, with such a high amount of crashes, with reduced vision. Read on to learn about the 25 roads we would never be caught on after dark!
25 Atlantic Ocean Road
The Atlantic Ocean road is found in Norway and crosses an archipelago. If you’re planning on driving on this road, be ready for a bumpy ride. This road often transforms into bridges, and as seen as the image above the bridges at times are not high enough to avoid the crashing waves of the ocean. When the water level of the Atlantic rises, the water can crash above the bridge and splash the oncoming traffic. Definitely avoid this road, or if you do venture on it make sure to at least close your windows!
24 Skippers Canyon Road
Skippers Canyon Road is found in New Zealand and is truly beautiful. It looks like something out of a movie, honestly. Unfortunately, this road is super scary to drive on. It’s narrow, winding roads make it far too much of a challenge for any driver. Its roads are so narrow that two cars cannot actually fit on it. The risk of head-on collisions are incredibly high and because of this, drivers actually need a special license to drive on this road (dangerousroads.org). This is one you definitely should take a tour bus to see, but don’t try to sneakily go on your own because you might not make it out.
23 Karakoram Highway
Karakoram Highway is a highway that connects Pakistan to China. It is often referred to as the “eighth wonder of the world” because it was built 15 000 feet over sea levels in 1966 under extremely hard conditions (dangerousroads.org). This highway stretches for over 1300 km and passes literally through several mountainous regions. There are so many potential dangers when driving on this highway we would never venture on it at night. Potential threats including falling rocks (obviously), landslides, avalanches in colder regions, flooding and snow drifts. Sometimes herds of animals pass this road, making it incredibly dangerous for anyone trying to navigate it. So scary to even think of!
22 Highway 1
This Florida highway may seem like any other regular highway, but in fact, it is a very scary one. Florida’s Highway 1 was actually ranked the most dangerous highway in the world, according to the Orlando Weekly. Thousands of people have suffered crashes over the last decade (dangerousroads.org). This highway has such an incredibly high crash rate, we would not dare to worsen our chances and driving on it at night. Stay safe and avoid Florida’s Highway 1, if you can!
21 Pan American Highway
The Pan American Highway reaches from Alaska to Chile and while the highway itself isn’t all the frightening, it’s more the places it crosses through that make us afraid. This highway is 30,000 miles long and it passes through most of Mexico and Central America, where unfortunately there are many threats. Cartels and FARC rebels can pose a threat to tourists travelling through these roads at night. While this doesn’t mean this road or these countries are filled with bandits or scary people, I would be cautious when crossing it at night.
20 Sichuan-Tibet Highway
The Sichuan-Tibet Highway was built in the mid-20th century and is over 2000 km in length, connecting the city of Chengdu in Sichuan with Lhasa in Tibet (bbc.com). This highway leads cars up to 6000m in elevation, often causing motion-sickness for drivers crossing this road. While this makes it unpleasant, this highway is considered dangerous because of the number of rockslides and avalanches that occur. Thousands of people are lost each year on this highway, so I would definitely help my chances by avoiding to cross it in the dark especially!
19 James Dalton Highway
James Dalton Highway is a highway used by truckers going from and to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields and northern Alaska. The biggest issue with this highway is that 75% of the road is unpaved (dangerousroads.org). Despite it being over 400 miles long, there are no hospitals or medical facilities along it, so anyone crossing it is encouraged to bring survival gear. How spooky! This has apparently interested many people as a reality TV show has been created around the journey made by truckers crossing this extremely dangerous road. Interested? It’s called "Ice Road Truckers."
18 Siberian Road to Yakutsk
The Siberian Road to Yakutsk crosses through one of the coldest places on earth, so already this journey will be a challenge. This road is nearly 800 miles and most of it is completely unpaved. Drivers are advised to cross this road in the winter if need be when the ground is completely frozen. In the summer, rain causes the road to largely become one big swamp causing intense traffic and more risk of accidents. If you plan on crossing this road, I would recommend driving a tall truck that can handle some serious mud!
17 Guoliang Tunnel Road
The Guoliang Tunnel Road was a road that was entirely built by 13 Chinese villagers after the government decided against it (wikipedia). This tunnel is nearly a mile long and cuts through a cliff, making travelling much easier for the 300 villages in this small town. While the effort made by these villagers to help accommodate their community is great, their inexperience translates into their work. The tunnel is barely big enough for two cars, making the risk of collision very high. It is an extremely dangerous road, but it does boast some very nice views, so maybe visit it, but on foot?
16 Zoji Pass
Zoji Pass is a road that gives anyone goosebumps just to look at. Imagine driving up a hill that passes through one of the highest mountain ranges in the world, looking to your left and noticing there are no guardrails to stop your from fall off the cliff and looking in front of you to realize the road is entirely unpaved. Even better, there are no road signs to warn you of any sharp turns or zig zags, of which there are many. This road is extremely dangerous because of the high risk of landslides (dangerousroads.org). This road is mostly closed in the winter because the snow would make it even trickier. Be careful!
15 North Yungas Road
North Yungas Road has a very eerie nickname. It is located in Bolivia and leads from La Paz to Coroico. It is 40 miles long and is only a one lane road. The road is one giant obstacle course, featuring drops of 3000 feet, and hundreds of hairpin turns. It’s a very hard drive on the North Yungas Road, as memorials can be seen commemorating the hundreds of people that are lost yearly on this road. If you don’t have to go on this road, I would be safe and avoid it at all costs.
14 Fairy Meadows Road
Fairy Meadows Road is such a cute name for such a scary road. You can only venture on this road in the summer, as it is closed in the winter months. Located in Pakistan, Fairy Meadow Road is a 16 km long gravel path. This road was built by villagers centuries ago and never improved or repaired (wikipedia). This drive through the mountains is very unstable, has no guardrails and is only wide enough for one car to pass at a time. Just watching anyone attempting to drive on this road makes me wince. The fear of falling over is just too much!
13 Apache Trail Scenic Drive
The Apache Trail Scenic Drive is a beautiful, but dangerous drive. This road leads drivers through the beautiful mountainous regions of Arizona, however, do not let the beauty of the road distract you! This road is scary because of the lack of guardrails, steep cliffs and of course, distracted drivers who are taken by the view. This road requires all your attention, otherwise, it can be fatal (dangerousroads.org). If you’re driving through Arizona and choose to go here, drive carefully and stop somewhere to enjoy the view!
12 Khardung
The Khardung Mountain Pass is located in India and is quite the scary sight to see. This one is quite literally a rocky road. This road is totally unpaved and very bumpy and unstable and of course, lacking guardrails to catch you from falling off this high road. The Khardung leads drivers through one of the tallest mountain passes in the world, so guardrails would really be helpful here! On top of all of that, rock slides pose a major danger for anyone crossing this road. Drive through it at your own risk.
11 Eshima Ohashi Bridge
Ok, Eshima Ohashi Bridge looks like a bridge straight from the future, but a spooky future. It is located in Japan and was designed to help big ships pass under the bridge, which realistically is very smart and helpful for ship drivers, but also scary for car drivers. Imagine tackling this incredibly steep angle with cars close by, in front and in back of you. So stressful! Perhaps if you chose to visit Japan, travel around on boat and not by car. Or actually, maybe on foot is the safest way to avoid any collisions.
10 A44
Highway A44 is located in the United Kingdom and probably looks totally normal to most readers. This road leads drivers to and from Oxford and Aberystwyth. While this road looks like your everyday, average road, it’s actually incredibly dangerous. Get this, while driving on this highway the side of the road the driver is on actually changes. How insane in that! If you’re not accustomed to driving here, or even if you are, there’s a serious risk for head-on collisions, so beware! Definitely avoid this road at night, as the road signs will be just that harder to see and understand. So scary!
9 Trans-Siberian Highway
The Trans-Siberian Highway is located in Russia and stems from Vladivostok to the well-known town of St. Petersburg. This highway is one of the longest highways in the world, but despite its length remains largely unpaved. The weather in Russia is not always perfect, and when it rains this road becomes a total disaster for drivers. Think lots of traffic, increased risk of accident and a total nightmare! Stay clear of this road if you can, or prepare to wash your car thoroughly afterwards.
8 Hana
Hawaii is a dream destination for many because of it’s beautiful beaches and rich greenery. Hana is a scenic road that is right in between the sea and the mountains, giving drivers an unbeatable view. Unfortunately, the beauty of this road can be dangerous, as drivers often lose focus admiring nature, or trying to take photos. Even worse, there is a huge risk of landslides at all times. We would never drive on this road at night because we wouldn’t want to miss out on its beauty, but we also want to make it out alive!
7 Stelvio Pass Road
Stelvio Pass Road is found in the Italian Alps and stems for almost 2 miles. This road is thought to be the most winding road to ever exist, making it so hard to drive on. Definitely make sure you have plenty of experience before taking a car to this road. It requires lots of skill and coordination to navigate this road, not to mention nerves of steel. Steer clear of this road at night, as the darkness will make it just that much harder to navigate.
6 US Route 431
US Route 431 was given the name “highway to hell," a term that was popularized by the rock band, AC/DC. This road goes from Kentucky to Alabama and is over 550 miles long! It might seem like a pretty ordinary road to you because unlike most of the roads in this article, it’s paved, has guardrails and seems to cross an ordinary terrain, but it’s actually very dangerous! It’s one of the most dangerous roads in the world, because of how narrow the lanes are and of how fast the lanes change. While you might expect a breezy drive, this one requires all your attention!