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 This means that infrastructure is outdated on stretches of it, which are unpaved and do not have guardrails.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.
So why is Bolivia’s Death Road not number one? The Bolivian government decided to build a newer, safer highway nearby. Death Road is still open, though it’s now mostly used by daredevils who want to try their luck and cyclists who get a thrill out of near-death experiences.
More than 12 of these cyclists have died on the road in the past decade.
