World’s craziest roads from 2,000ft death plunges, to road markings that make people sick, and Britain’s ‘Widowmaker’
A STAGGERING 1.3 million people continue to die on the roads every year despite improved efforts to protect human safety.
That’s an average of 3,287 deaths per day – according to global figures from the Association for Safe International Road Travel.
That makes roads the eighth leading cause of death globally and, despite advancements in technology, the numbers are continuing to rise.
Here is all you need to know about some of the world’s most deadliest and craziest roads where extreme caution is advised.
The Widow-maker, United Kingdom
England’s most dangerous road, the A537 stretches 7.5 miles between the Cheshire town of Macclesfield and Buxton in Derbyshire.
Also known as the ‘Cat & Fiddle road’, it is considered to be the most dangerous road in Britain and recorded 44 serious crashes between 2007-2011.
Baune’s confusing road markings, France
This small town in France is only home to around 1,700 people but has to deal with heavy traffic and 2,300 commuters on a daily basis.
But with some driving through at speeds of up to 60mph, Baune has decided to paint some baffling road markings in order to confuse motorists and slow them down.
The Coast Roads, Croatia
Croatia may have stunning scenery and beaches but exploring its coastal roads often leads to more than 11,600 collisions every year.
It is one of the leading countries in Europe with the highest number of dead and injured on roads – 664 fatalities were recorded in 2008.
The Stelvio Pass, Italy
Arguably the most terrifying road in Europe, Italy’s Stelvio Pass is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alp.
Situated at an altitude of 9,045 feet, many drivers underestimate its difficulty to navigate and the zig zag road causes plenty of accidents every year.
Highway 80, from Kuwait City to Basra, Iraq
Over in the middle east, things don’t get much prettier as Highway 80 plays host to an estimated 300-400 fatalities a year.
Also known as The Highway of Death, the death toll has never been accurately recorded on this six-lane motorway which runs from Kuwait City to Iraq.
Karakoram Highway, Pakistan
This road was doomed from the start after 810 Pakistani and 82 Chinese workers lost their lives in landslides during construction.
However, the “Friendship Highway” has been dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world” because it is one of the highest paved roads in the world.
The Zoji Pass, India
With a staggering 400 deaths a day, India’s roads are among the deadliest in the world.
One of those is the Zojila mountain pass which is located at a staggering 11,580ft above sea level and is an extremely narrow road with no barriers.
Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China
Elsewhere in Asia, China’s Sichuan-Tibet Highway has a record of over 7,500 deaths for every 100,000 drivers it welcomes.
However, that’s more to do with the fact that landslides and rock avalanches are common because of the high-elevation road between Chengdu and Tibet.
Skippers Canyon Road, New Zealand
Look away now if you’re afraid of heights because just looking at this road, let alone driving on it, is not for the faint-hearted.
The steep drop into the ravine below once saw British driving firm Driving Experience give an ‘overall road fear factor’ a seven out of ten.
The Road of Death, Bolivia
South America is often linked with road tragedy and poorly constructed highways – and this one is no different.
The name of this road tells the story alone, as The Road of Death cliffs off up to 1,968 feet, has no guard rails and has about 300 deaths every year.
Los Caracoles Pass, Chile
Rounding off this terrifying roads list is Chile’s Los Caracoles Pass, which is covered in snow almost all the year.
Passing through the Andes Mountains, it has an elevation of 3,176 metres and the amount of busses and trucks makes the drive exhausting.