25. Kabul-Jalalabad Road, Afghanistan
Constructed: 2010
Risk Factor: The road is narrow and has a lot of sharp turns with no guardrail to protect from the Kabul River below
The Kabul-Jalalabad Road connects two major Afghan cities, Jalalabad and Kabul. The 94-mile-long road is considered one of the world’s most dangerous, based on the sheer number of traffic accidents that occur every year. As one local Afghan site put it, “fatal traffic accidents” appear to be almost a “daily” occurrence.
Kabul-Jalalabad Road, Afganistan @CNN Youtube.com
The Kabul-Jalalabad Road is treacherous because it is narrow, with sharp turns that take you past high cliffs. In some sections, there is no guardrail to protect from the Kabul River Valley below. The road runs parallel to the River Valley, and the threat of taking a turn too fast and falling more than 5,000 feet into the Kabul River is always present.