Most Dangerous Roads in the World

Anyone planning a relaxed road trip would be advised to give these five roads a miss, as they have been crowned some of the most dangerous in the world!

North Yungas Road, Bolivia

If you make even one small mistake on this route you could be faced with a sheer drop of up to 15,000 feet.

From the summit, you travel 40 miles along a single lane road through the Bolivian rainforest, trying not to be distracted by the view.

If a worrying lack of railings and the knowledge that around 300 lives are claimed every year by the road isn’t enough to put you off the journey, perhaps the 3 meter wide point where oncoming traffic threatens to send you tumbling down the cliff will do the trick.

Halsema Highway, Philippines

This 150 mile highway is not small-vehicle friendly since buses regularly speed along the narrow track, despite the incredibly high chance of them rolling over the edge to their doom.

Drivers face heart-stopping drop offs and the road is so badly maintained that you hardly feel safe even when you are lucky enough to have a stretch of road to yourself.

When other drivers are not trying to run you off this high-altitude highway, nature takes over, throwing landslides, fog and mist into the equation that make the asphalt extremely hazardous and greatly reduce visibility.

Skippers Canyon Road, New Zealand

You know a road is dangerous when you have to ask for permission to drive it – rental cars are not even insured there.

Whilst many may argue that the scenic views are well worth it – tourists flock to the canyon just to experience the road – the twists and turns of this steep, one-way road are not for the faint-hearted.

The trip is difficult enough on a bright, clear day but if you happen to be travelling in the wet or the dark, you’d better hope luck is on your side.

Running for over 16 miles, Skippers Canyon road is littered with mammoth pot holes that can ruin your car and if you come face-to-face with another vehicle, just hope its not you that has to reverse for up to 3 kilometers until you find a passing place.

Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China

One of the most feared roads of all, the Sichuan-Tibet highway, is known for avalanches, rock slides, hairpin turns, low oxygen levels, awful weather conditions, traffic jams, mud traps and even the occasional kidnapping.

It has certainly earned a dangerous reputation and vehicle wrecks are strewn around the area.

Once you get over the hazardous nature of the journey, you are rewarded with some truly stunning views, just make sure your vehicle is well-prepared for the treacherous journey.

James Dalton Highway, Alaska

Over the course of 414 miles you will see barely another soul on this isolated stretch of road.

Here, trucks are king and you must always give them right of way, even when they reward you by throwing dust, mud and gravel at your car that makes it nigh on impossible to see where you are going.

Potholes threaten to take you out as you battle the strong winds that force you to dodge flying rocks, driving conditions that are made all the worse if you travel in freezing temperatures.