It’s one thing to identify the most dangerous roads in the UK. If you’re an adventurous traveller, you might find yourself driving on some of the most dangerous roads in the world.
Any driver who wants to travel the world needs to keep a diversity of driving styles and road safety tips in mind. Not only will you have to stay awake on longer drives, but you’ll have to navigate roadways that drop, turn and dive in ways you won’t have seen in the UK.
So, where are some of the most dangerous roads in the world, and how can you drive safely while on them?
Los Caracoles Pass, Chile
If you feel like taking a risk the next time you travel the border between Argentina and Chile, why not drive down Los Caracoles Pass? This motorway resides at an elevation of 3,176 meters and does not have a safety barrier to keep your car from reeling off of its sides. Not only that, but you’ll be turning corners on this pass without knowing what’s ahead of you.
It’s safe to say that Los Caracoles Pass is not for the faint of heart – which is why native Chileans travel it with regularity, leaving tourists (save for those who join up with Los Caracoles tour buses) to find alternative routes.
Trollstigen, Norway
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a child designed a motorway? If you have, take a gander at Trollstigen motorway in Norway. This motorway has been dubbed “The Troll Ladder” by local drivers and, on paper, makes no logical sense in its direction.
If you happen to drive down Trollstigen, you’ll find that not only are you jolted back and forth by the road’s sharp turns but that the drops through Norway’s hills rival any you might take while riding a roller coaster.
James Dalton Highway, USA
Let it never be said that England’s cousins in the United States aren’t brave to the point of foolhardiness. What other reason would they have to pave the James Dalton Highway? Running from Fairbanks, California to Alaska, this motorway seems some of the gustiest winds and worst weather in the United States.
Mother Nature herself admonishes the makers of this roadway by covering its surface with unavoidable rocks and drenching it with ice and snow the further north drivers go.
Trans-Siberian Highway, Russia
Speaking of terrifying weather: where is it more brutal than Siberia? This country’s unrelenting cold is legendary. As one might expect then, the motorways in Siberia are nothing if not unrelenting. One of the most challenging drives brings motorists down the Trans-Siberian Highway.
If you’re looking to learn how to stay alert behind the wheel, then this may be the road to practice on. This motorway is less of a motorway and more of an extended, dirt road that tracks all the way through Siberia.
In fact, the vast majority of Russians avoid this road for that exact reason. A hard rain is enough to turn the unpaved parts of this road into mud baths. While some extreme drivers will relish the opportunity to go mudding in areas like these, most casual drivers would prefer to drive on motorways that are more firmly established.
It’s actually in winter that the Trans-Siberian Highway is the safest to drive. When the dirt is safely frozen and the paved parts of the motorway mostly empty, motorists can travel across Siberia in relative – if not great – safety.
Le Passage du Gois, France
If driverless cars are the automobiles of the future, cars that drive underwater remain the automobiles of science fiction writers’ dreams. That’s a pity too. If cars could drive underwater, then maybe France’s Passage du Gois would be operable for more than a few hours a day.
This motorway connects the island Ile de Noirmoutier with the body of France. Like Los Caracoles in Chile, it does not have any barriers separating the roadway itself from the ocean around it. As such, the operable hours of the motorway need to be strictly maintained. If they’re not, drivers risk finding their cars underwater due to the fluctuating tides.
Guoliang Tunnel Road, China
There are corners of this world that remain vastly unexplored. That possibility of discovery is part of what makes travelling around the world so exciting.
There are some places, though, that drivers wouldn’t be able to reach if the locals hadn’t paved the roads themselves. The locals at the end of the Guoliang Tunnel Road in China did just that. They cut through the side of a mountain on their own, improvising tunnels to avoid some of the steeper drops that cars might accidentally take.
Nowadays, the Guoliang Tunnel Road is better known as “The Road that Tolerates No Mistake.” While the locals did their best to ensure that the road was safe to drive on, only one has a barrier that keeps vehicles from plummeting of the side of the mountain.
If you find yourself on the Road that Tolerates No Mistake, make sure you drive slowly – you’ll need all manner of caution to make it to your destination safely.
Heading out on your next adventure? Make sure that you’ve done your research ahead of time. These six most dangerous roads in the world will challenge the attention and care of any driver.