Getting in your car is a simple as putting on your shoes, but how many of us actually think what the potential dangers are? Here is my guide to road trips that are so dangerous or scary, you’ll never want to experience them.
Wolf Creek National Park, Australia
Wolf Creek National Park located north east of Perth, the long, desolate and lonely drive in oppressive heat will have you worried. Be wary of breakdowns and hitchhikers and if you must go, take lots of water.
Monterey to Morro Bay
From Monterey to Morrow Bay, this 122-mile road has just two lanes as you zoom, or most likely crawl, along cliff tops and bridges high above jagged rocks and the Pacific Ocean. Got vertigo? Avoid!
M6
The M6 is apparently the most haunted road in the UK. Sightings of Roman soldiers, distraught hitchhikers and oncoming trucks are the norm but what do you expect with 2000 years of history?
Guoliang Tunnel
At 15ft high and only 12ft wide, the Guoliang Tunnel in China roughly translates as the ‘road that does not tolerate any mistakes’. It’s a tight squeeze so make sure you don’t do any overtaking!
Cairns to Darwin
This four day drive isn’t for the faint of heart. The sanest route requires you to drive down the east coast, cut through the Northern Territory to Alice Springs and then up to Darwin.
A75
With the nickname of ‘the ghost road’, drivers have reported sightings of a couple crossing the road and birds flying at their windshields, all appearing from out of nowhere.
Saddle Road
Much of this route in Hawaii is narrow and one way, couple this with intermittent fog and it makes it a hazardous drive. Oh did we forget to mention it’s between two volcanoes and over a stiflingly hot lava-rock desert too?
Trans-Sahara Highway
The Trans-Sahara Highway links the Algiers in the South to Lagos in the North with a 2800-mile long road. Temperatures can reach up to 50°C and sand storms can cause the road to become impassable. Despite much of the road being paved, it has been poorly looked after and much of it is now in a state of disrepair.
The North Yungas Road
The North Yungas Road in Bolivia is also known as El Camino de la Muerte or Road of Death! Running from La Paz to Coroico, most parts of the road are no wider than 3.2 meters and visibility can be reduced by rain, fog and even dust. It is estimated that 200-300 people are killed on the route each year and crosses are marked on the road where vehicles have previously fallen. In 1983, a bus carrying more than 100 passengers veered off the road falling into the canyon, killing everyone on board.
A682 – Nelson to Long Preston
100 fatalities over the last 10 years should tell you enough about the A682 from Lancashire to Yorkshire.
Bloodspoint Road
Having been the sight of many murders, suicides and accidents, this road in Illinois has many spooky stories of children standing in the road, mysterious landmarks on cars and strange noises in the woods.
Pan American Highway
At 30,000 miles long, the Pan American Highway, according to Guinness World Records, this is world’s longest drivable road. If you want to experience every kind of motoring hazard, from flash floods to landslides, this road is for you.
A229
Another haunted road in England, many drivers have reported sighting a woman in white appearing in front of their car and a hitch hiker near a local pub. It’s up to you to find out what happens if you let him in…
Kolyma Highway
Nicknamed the Road of Bones due to the amount of labour camp prisoners who died constructing it in Soviet Russia, this road cuts through the harshest and coldest wilderness Russia has to offer.
Patiopoulo to Perdikaki Road
This narrow road in Greece is either a steep descent or climb and is full of pot-holes, sheer drops on either side (no guardrails) and a lack of grip. Needless to say a lot of people die on this road.
Cat and Fiddle Road
Many roads have vied for the title Britain’s most dangerous road, the A537 or the Cat and Fiddle Road is from Macclesfield to Buxton. The high numbers of accidents have largely been attributed to motorcyclists however the high winds and sharp corners don’t help.
Trans-Siberian Highway
The Trans-Siberian Highway from St Petersberg to Vladivostock in Russia has some parts that would be recognisable as a motorway where as other parts are more like a dirt track. Mostly built by Gulag inmates, during the warm wet summers, parts of the highway can become impassable.
Highway 401
Carnage Alley, The Killer Highway but officially known as Highway 401 between Windsor and London was the scene of Canada’s worst traffic accident which involved 87 vehicles and killed 8 people. The straightness and monotonousness of the road was thought to be the cause of many of the accidents however this has since been adapted.
Stelvio Pass
Voted Top Gear’s “greatest driving road in the world”, the Stelvio Pass in Italy runs from the Lombardy region to Austria. Just make sure that you don’t get too carried away with the view as you will have to navigate the dangerous 48 hairpin bends.
Canning Stock Route
If you are going to attempt to transverse the Canning Stock Route in Australia, then make sure you are able to fix your own car. 1150 miles of empty desert means that you will need plenty of food and water and because there are only one of two chances to refuel, make sure you take plenty of this as well.
Taroko Gorge
The Taroko Gorge in Taiwan attracts three or four cyclones each year which can produce up to a meter of rainfall each time. These can leave roads prone to landslides. So if you are going to drive this road, make sure you check the weather forecast first.
Sichuan-Tibet Highway
A major contribution to the Chinese 2006 road deaths toll of 82,000, the Sichuan-Tibet Highway (G318) is 5,476km in length and runs from Shanghai to Tibet. Prone to rock falls and landslides, drivers will also cross the Si Du River Bridge which has the highest vertical clearance in the world.
The Dalton Highway
Featured in an episode of Ice Road Truckers, the Dalton Highway is one of the most isolated roads in America. With only three towns along the way, which have a combined population of 50 permanent residents, it runs from Fairbanks to Deadhorse near the Arctic Circle. With steep grades of up to 12%, drivers are advised to keep their headlights on at all times.
This is a guest post on behalf of www.Vroomvroomvroom.co.uk – if you are looking to see it all, why not hire a car and take the stress from driving away.
Photo credits: RayYNP, JorgeBrazil