Highway 1, Florida, U.S.A.
The Overseas Highway is one of the most beautiful scenic drives you can take. It’s southernmost leg of U.S. 1 is in Florida- it runs through Central Florida along the east coast, through 13 counties, stretching 545 miles. It’s mostly over water, so you can enjoy the beautiful ocean scenery and of course, the incredible sunrises and sunsets.
In 2017 Highway 1 in Florida was ranked the most dangerous road in the U.S.. In the last 10 years alone 1,079 people have died from traffic fatalities on the road, compared to 40 in the last 10 years on Rhode Island’s section of the I-95.
Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, Kenya
The Nairobi-Nakuru highway's 99 mile (159 km) stretch is notorious for being the most dangerous road in the country. The got it's infamous reputation mainly because its local driver's. Speeding, poor overtaking skills, and drunk driving (which is pretty common to see), are common, and if that wasn't bad enough, there hardly any traffic law enforcement in sight. Those factors, along with pedestrians and animals wandering into the road makes this highway one dangerous place to be, in fact, in one year alone, 320 people were killed on it.
While defensive driving lessons could make this road a bit safer, it's still quite risky. It was recently repaved in effort to lessen road traffic accidents, but sadly this still hasn't helped much. At least the Kenyan Government has recently begun to crack down on drunk drivers which is a major part of the problems s well.
Transfagarasan Road, Romania
In the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, and at an altitude of up to 6,000 feet, this highway is a shortcut between Transylvania and Walachia, and as is known to be one of the most difficult and dangerous in the world. This iconic highway has even been referenced in the television show Top Gear.
Drivers should be extremely cautious because not only is the oxygen much more rare on such a high altitude, but the road also drops so suddenly from the hill, you may feel as though you’re on a rollercoaster ride. Driving can very tricky since you can’t hit your breaks too suddenly since you never know if someone is coming up right behind you.
Le Passage du Gois, France
Le Passage du Gois is probably the most unique road on this list. This road actually disappears! Located on the Atlantic coast of France, the road connects the island Île de Noirmoutier with the mainland, whenever ocean tide rises, the road is covered with 13 feet (4 m) of water. People can only use the road few a hours a day, so for most of the day the road is completely useless.
While that sounds pretty cool, it also very dangerous. I mean, imagine getting caught on the road exactly when the tide is rising. In fact, the government has thought of that too, and elevated rescue towers built so that people can climb them and wait to be rescued if they get caught between the tides. One thing's for certain, if you plan to to take the fascinating Passage du Gois, it's best to have the tide times right. Fun fact: the name “Gois” comes from the verb goiser which means to walk while wetting one’s shoes in French .
Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road, Greece
The Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road in Greece is a very narrow road, lacking guardrails, filled with potholes, and is very slippery, especially in rainy weather. Unlike most of the roads here, it's hard to recommend you attempt this road if you are visiting Greece, as it's not exactly a fun drive, and has humbled many egos. So, unless you’re up for a challenge, your best bet is to take a different route or walk.
The surface of Patiopoulo-Perdikaki is gravel, and with all of its twists and turns, plummeting off the edge is not a rare occurrence. To make matters even worse, this area region is prone to heavy mist and fog so the visibility isn't on the drivers side either. Please do not look down at your phone.