18 of the most dangerous roads in the world

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.

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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.

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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!

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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!