Most Dangerous Roads In The World - They May Be in Your Backyard

Travelling without advanced knowledge of the terrain can be dangerous. Although many other routes are traveled everyday, they are also dangerous. There are other factors to consider when travelling commonly used transportation routes.

Before we consider these factors lets consider some of the most highways in the World.

Please note this a very subjective list and may be on more treacherous routes base don you own ideas and experiences.


Most Dangerous Roads In The World

Las 5 Carrentas mas Traicioneras y Extremas del Mundo
The 5 Most treacherous and Extreme Roads in The World

 

North Yungas Road Bolivia


This road links La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, with Coroico, also in Bolvia.  Some places on this route there a sheer drops of 1000 feet.Every year hundreds of deaths are recorded as vehicles try to pass other vehicles.




Zojila Pass, India


Zojila is a high mountain pass in Indian Kashmir, located on the Indian National Highway 1D between Srinagar and Leh. Most of the Himalayan roads are extremely hazardous but this one is a killer.

 Dangerously narrow and often muddy or icy, it is littered with crashed cars and overturned buses. This pass is often closed during the winter.





Most Amazing Roads in The World You Should Drive

Most Dangerous Roads I Have Traveled

Travelling Safely In Mountainous Regions

 

1. Paso International Los Libertadores
    Los Libertadores International Pass


This is a mountain pass in the Andes Mountain connecting the capital city of Santiago in Chile to Mendoza in Argentina. This pass is a major trucking route. When when we drove this pass the weather was warm and there was no snow. The surrounding mountains were quit steep. 


The numerous  switchbacks in the road helped to reduce the grade and limit the overheating of my breaks and engine during the descent. There were many areas to pull over, although i do not no how well these areas are maintained in the winter time.. This mountain pass consists of many switchbacks and reaches over 10,000 feet. At the top is a ski resort. Los Libertadores International Pass is very near the trail head of the highest mountain in the Andes and the America's, Aconcagua (Spanish pronunciation: [akoŋˈkaɣwa]). 



From this pass you cannot see Aconcagua as the mountains in near it are also over 10,000 feet. To get to the trail head of Aconcaua you will have enter Argentina via The Los Libertadores International Pass for Chilean side of the boarder.

 There a number of proposed tunnel routes 
that are being considered to bypass this mountain route. One such tunnel will be 52 kilometers long and will use train travel as well as trucks( trucks will board trains at certain transportation links). There is a excellent model of this in the Santiago International airport I have viewed in 2013, However I do not know if this model still exists and how much the project has changed or been completed.

Extreme Tunnel Planned For Andes Rail Link

This will be an amazing civil engineering project.



Anyway here is some photos of the pass.

Winter

Summer

2. This switchback road is near the boarder of Utah and Arizona.

There were no guard rials on this route and no warning until you arrived at the start of the decline.

3. Highway 401- Ontario Canada

You have a greater chance of being involved in a car accident if you are driving on Highway 401 between Whites Rd. in Pickering and Courtice Rd. east of Oshawa than any other highway location in the province, according to Ontario Provincial Police data obtained by the Toronto Star. From Top 12 Most Dangerous Highways In Canada Website.

4. Highway 63 in Northern Alberta

This has to one of the most scariest highways I have ever driven, both in winter and summer. The most dangerous is considered, in my opinion, is the northern most section of over  240 kms from Grassland to Fort McMurray's mining infrastructure (Suncor and Syncrude)

There are no mountain passes and switch back, but some of the driver are suicidal There is are no settlements between wandering river and Fort McMurray and it will be a long wait for the police and EMS if you get into an accident. An there were many fatal accidents in the past involving head on collisions as a result of vehicles trying to pass to many cars and trucks at once.

 Also some of the largest pieces of mining equipment in the world get transported on this highway. Thankfully this highway is now completely twined (the work was completed in 2016). Still this road often sees -40 degrees C and heavy snow and is still in the middle of nowhere.

Despite relatively low traffic volumes compared to other major highways in the province, the route has earned the moniker "Highway of Death" due to many fatal crashes.

Between 2001 and 2005, over 1,000 crashes occurred on Highway 63 in which 25 people were killed and 257 others were injured

  
 
Advanced Knowledge of The Climate and Terrain of The Road You About To Travel Save Your Life


 The purpose of this information is not discourage them taking these routes, but to inform them of the conditions they could or will encounter.

Steep grades with long narrow winding roads can cause your breaks to over heat and fail!!! Your breaks will become read hot.

I have experience this going over a mountain pass just west of Death valley in the Panamint Range (northern eastern reach of the Mojave Desert). This was no joke. The grade was not severe, but is was long decline and there were no run away truck ramps. Which reminds me that the worse places to lose your breaks is in the Appalachians Mountains (although there is good place to lose your breaks. - be sure your breaks are in good condition and stop to let your breaks to cool off - rest stops are there for a reason to rest and let your engine and breaks to cool off.

 When your breaks fail going down a steep grade you miss the turn or roll over on a sharp turn only meant for 15 miles per hour.

Check The Mountain Directory and See How it Works

In an effort to keep mountain driving safe for truckers and RV’ers, this eBook provides detailed information about mountain passes and steep grades for over 700 different areas throughout 22 different states. This guide will tell you the location of steep grades, how long they are and what you can expect in terms of safety and drivability throughout the year. Let us take the worry out of truck driving as we will get you safely through hundreds of mountain passes.

Best Regards

Traveling In Mountainous Regions Can Be Dangerous Without Advanced Knowledge of The Geography

Travelling in mountainous regions without proper knowledge of the area can be dangerous. There are several factors that should be considered. These include the condition of the roads you will have to traverse and the weather.

Road conditions include the grade your vehicle will have to overcome and the lack of pavement. Of course you have to deal with probability of driving down narrow roads with no guard rails that include very steep cliffs and if you miss the turn on a switchback there is no turning back.

This picture was take at over 10,000 feet above sea level, close to the boarder of Chile and Argentina in the Andes Mountains. This was during the warmer months. Imagine doing this during their winter months with no prior knowledge of the road conditions. This is a major trucking route between Chile and Argentina.

Trucking in the USA and Canada can have the same pitfalls (excuse the bad humour). If you have driven through the Rock Mountains during the winter months you will understand.

Consider this, it is illegal to drive a truck through certain mountain passes unless their tires are chained up. Passenger vehicles must have winter tires to legally traverse these mountain passes.

Would it not be a good idea to have advanced knowledge of these mountainous region when having to travel through them. CLICK HERE to learn more. Learn about the locations and descriptions of over 700 mountain passes and steep grades In 22 states. Vital information for anyone driving a large or heavy vehicle.

Even during the warm weather there are certain roads throughout the USA than be rather dangerous if if are prepared to traverse them. This can especial so at night. Imagine this coming upon you without any advanced notice.  

 Imagine yourself descending a mountain grade in your RV delivery vehicle. You didn't know there was such a long, steep grade on this highway. What a surprise!

Many people are under the impression that the grades in the eastern mountains are not as serious as the grades in the western mountains. Apparently this is because the elevations are not as high in the eastern states. But elevation alone is not the problem--it is the change in elevation that makes a grade potentially hazardous.

If all other factors are equal, a grade that descends from 4000' to 1000' over 10 miles is no different than a grade that descends from 10000' to 7000' over 10 miles. Either way you have a 3000' change in elevation spread over 10 miles. (This example would result in an average grade of almost 6% for 10 miles.)

From the author, RW:

When customers find out that I'm from Kansas, they often say, "Kansas?  What can you tell me about mountain passes if you're from Kansas?"  But after they hear my story, they cut me a little slack.  (By the way, did you know that there was once a researcher with too much government grant money who determined that Kansas actually is flatter than a pancake?)

When I was a kid in the early 60's my parents owned a 16 foot Mobil Scout travel trailer.  We pulled that trailer all over the western United States and Canada with a 1962 Chevy with a 283 cubic inch engine and a three speed on the column.  So I learned to love mountains and I learned to love traveling the wide open spaces of our great land.  With that small trailer and the reliable Chevy, we never had any problems climbing or descending grades.

Read more ...

VITAL INFORMATION FOR ANYONE DRIVING A LARGE OR HEAVY VEHICLE

In an attempt to make mountain driving a little safer for truckers and RV'ers, R&R Publishing Inc. has been collecting and publishing information about mountain passes and steep grades since 1993. The MOUNTAIN DIRECTORY gives the locations and descriptions of over 700 mountain passes and steep grades in 22 states.

CLICK HERE to obtain this information.

During the last few years we have heard many stories about very expensive repairs to drive train components. Sometimes rigs are lost entirely. A highway patrol officer in Oregon told us that in the summer an average of one motorhome per week burns to the ground while trying to climb Cabbage Hill on I-84 east of Pendleton.

 If a fire starts, the nearest fire department is likely to be many miles away. By the time they arrive, there is nothing left to do but hose down the ashes.

From the Colorado section of the Mountain Directory West:

VAIL PASS elev. 10603' (on I-70 east of Vail, CO)

The descent on the westbound side of Vail Pass is about 10 miles in length and begins at milepost 189 on I-70. One half mile west of the summit there are warning signs for westbound traffic--"Speed limit 45 mph for vehicles over 30,000 lbs." and "Steep grade next 8 miles--trucks stay in lower gear."  The next mile is rolling hills.  Then there is a sign--"7% grade next 7 miles."

The descent is steady at 7% and there are 3 advisory signs for the first runaway truck ramp which is about milepost 185 or 4 miles down from the summit.  The escape ramp is upsloping on the right.  The second runaway truck ramp is about milepost 182, which is 3¼ miles after the first escape ramp, or about 7¼ miles down from the summit.   There are several advisory signs before reaching it and it is an upsloping ramp on the right.  Don't be fooled when the grade eases after the second escape ramp.  It soon goes back to 7% and doesn't bottom out until 2½ miles after the second escape ramp or about milepost 179.

The eastbound descent from the summit of Vail Pass continues almost to the Frisco exit about 11 miles down the hill but the descent is not steady.  There are short steep sections followed by short sections of lesser grade.  The last half of the descent is 3-4% grade.  There are no escape ramps on the east side of the pass.

The main ingredients involved in overheated brakes are the length of the grade, the steepness of the grade, and the speed and weight of the vehicle. Reducing any of these will improve the chances of getting down the mountain without overheating the brakes. Most of the time, the only one the driver can change is speed. Reducing speed may keep you alive. Remember the old phrase, "You can go down a mountain a thousand times too slowly, but only once too fast."

Best Regards