5 Of The World's Deadliest Roads

Driving is dangerous no matter where you are in the world. Around 1.35 million global deaths are caused by road accidents each year.

Still, there’s no denying that some roads are more dangerous than others. Sometimes, this is the result of poor infrastructure or planning. Other dangers are of a more geographic nature, like landslides, steepness and sharp curves.

These are the world’s deadliest roads. Drive on them at your own risk.

# North Yungas Road, Bolivia

This steep Bolivian road is nicknamed the "Death Road" and is often referred to as the most dangerous road in the world. It earned this honor because of the incredibly steep journey it takes, dropping about 1,1975 feet on its descent from La Paz to Coroico.

Besides the steepness, the road was built in the 1930s on a cliffside. This means that infrastructure is outdated on stretches of it, which are unpaved and do not have guardrails. Cars can easily veer off the road, facing an incredibly high fall.

The narrowness of the road doesn't help much either. And to make matters worse, heavy rains can create mudslides and landslides. During the 1990s, it was estimated that about 200 to 300 people died on this road each year.

# Guoliang Tunnel, China

Traveling on this road is only for the very brave. Built by hand in the 1970s by villagers from a nearby town, the Guoliang Tunnel is short but dangerous.

The tunnel is extremely narrow, fitting about a single car in its only lane and has no guardrails or barriers in some sections. This is particularly worrisome given the very steep drop that drivers face.

For light, the tunnel relies on 30 windows carved onto the tunnel. The natural light is helpful, but makes it basically impossible to drive at night.

All of these factors combine to cause around 14 accidents and three deaths per year. More than 400 accidents have been recorded since 1992.

# Highway 90, Israel

Highway 90 had the dishonor of being named the most dangerous road in the Middle East on the Budget Direct report. Since 2003, there have been 233 deaths and 700 injuries on the road. This translates to around 13 deaths per year.

Of course, this is just the average, and some years prove much deadlier than others. In 2018, for instance, there were 17 fatalities on Highway 90 in a single two-week period.

The high mortality rate on this road is attributed to its aging structure, which has not been properly updated since it was built in the 1960s. Lack of barriers, high traffic and narrow lanes contribute to the tragedies on this deadly Israeli road.

# I-45, United States

The United States suffers 33,244 fatal car crashes every year, so it isn't shocking that one of its roads would come up on this list. But not many would expect the country's most dangerous road to be I-45 in Texas.

This relatively short road (for the U.S.) connects Galveston to Dallas by way of Houston. Passing through two of the state's most important cities has made the road prone to accidents. About 56.5 fatal crashes happen every 100 miles. Between 2011 and 2015, there were 83 recorded deaths, or 20.75 fatalities per year.

Most accidents happen in the Houston area and are attributed to the constant congestion of the highway. There is also an issue with drunk drivers, with 17.5 drunk driving deaths per 100 miles.

# M4 Western Motorway, Australia

The M4 has been deemed to be the worst road in Australia. From 2010 to 2014, the road was the site of 788 crashes. That's about 197 accidents per year.

Part of the reason for the high number of crashes is that this is a highly transited road, which always means more danger. Officials also point out reckless driving and speeding as factors in these accidents.

If the highway didn't rank a bit higher on this nefarious list, it's because only six deaths were recorded in that four-year period.

That's about 1.5 deaths per year, which is better than most other roads on here.