In the
1930's a road was built connecting La Paz to the Amazon Rainforest region of
northern Bolivia that is so dangerous it has been named "Death Road."
People take their life in their own hands just by traveling on Death Road.
Death Road also known as
"the world's most dangerous road", is a one lane road that is ten
feet wide with extreme drop-offs of at least 2,000 feet. Visibility can be very
poor due to elements such as fog, rain and dust. Rocks can loosen because of
the muddy road causing the road to become damaged. Because of the narrowness of
the road there are no guardrails, even if there were, the road is so unstable
that they would probably not hold up if they were hit.
Passing another vehicle on
Death Road is extremely dangerous. The right of way is never given to the
vehicle going downhill. The vehicle going downhill must move to the outer edge
of the road while the other car passes putting it in danger of falling off the
edge of the road. Many times the wheels of the vehicle are partially off of the
edge of the road with the 2000 feet drop-off below. The two vehicles must stop
for the pass to be negotiated so that the vehicle going uphill can pass.
There are times when vehicles
absolutely can not pass each other on the road, which requires the vehicle
going downhill to back-up. This can be extremely dangerous due to the
narrowness of the road and the twists and turns.
It is even more confusing and
dangerous to drive on Death Road because the vehicles are required to drive on
the left side when taking the road whereas they drive on the right in the rest
of Bolivia. Driving on the left side of the road gives the person who has to
pull over when passing a better view of the outside wheel of the vehicle so
that it can be turned to stay on the road when passing.
On July 24, 1984 one-hundred
passengers were killed when the bus they were taking went off the road into a
canyon marking it as the worst road accident in Bolivia.
In 2006 a new road that was
twenty years in the making was finished connecting Bolivia and La Paz. The new
two-lane paved road bypasses the most dangerous sections of Death Road.
Death Road is not traveled
often anymore however thrill seekers still travel Death Road. It is a popular
road for mountain bikers. It is still extremely dangerous and mountain bikers
have died while riding on Death Road. It is a road where a person might find
the point of no return.
+Death Road
+Bolivia
Picture courtesy of Google Images
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