Don’t Look Down! The most dangerous roads in the world
In the UK, we’re used to having to drive with extra caution if there’s a blind curve in the road or even pulling out at a junction. These often get labelled by the Police as “accident black spots”, places where a high frequency of car accidents happen and for good reason too.
There are many injuries, even deaths caused by drivers not being careful in these areas and in a lot of these cases the whole situation could have been avoided by someone driving slightly slower or paying a little bit more attention to the road.
There are roads in the world though, that are so treacherous that even the most skilled and experienced motorist could have trouble traversing safely. These roads are invariably in extremely poor condition and a large percentage are etched high up a mountain with a steep drop to the valley below.
One such road is the Guoliang Tunnel in the Taihang Mountains, China. Its name translates to “The road that does not tolerate mistakes”, the road is carved into the cliff face where the road goes into the rock in small tunnels with worryingly exposed tight corners and 30 “windows” along the way, and it’s definitely one of the roads you dread seeing someone approaching from the opposite direction!
Also in Bolivia is the North Yungas road, affectionately known as “The Road of Death”, where the road traces around the Bolivian Andes for the nightmarish 70 km drive from La Paz to Coroico. The road is frequently coated in fog and mist from the tropical rainforests below, which is probably best as it obscures the 3,600 m drop where many lorries, cars and buses lie. A fatal accident occurs every couple of weeks cementing its position as the world’s most dangerous road.
Closer to solid ground the Russian Siberian road to Yakutsk is a government-certified road and the only road to Yakutsk which will often slow down or even halt many truck drivers’ journeys. The rain in the region turns the clay road into a muddy bog that rivals any wet weekend at a music festival! Photos show lorries overturned, half eaten by the mud and tractors buried besides the cars they were tasked with rescuing.
For the vast majority of us we will thankfully never have to experience the fear of driving along these roads but those that do have to be aware at all times, control their speed and keep their wits about them. The same can be said for driving everyday in this country, changes in weather whether it’s hot or cold can change crucial factors like braking distances or visibility so make sure you drive safely.
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