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| A Google earth map view of the road outside Qunu |
MOTORISTS who want to pay homage at Madiba’s grave in Qunu in the
Eastern Cape will have to travel on the most dangerous road in South
Africa.
This after the 230-km long section of the N2 between East London
and Mthatha in the Eastern Cape has been included on a list of the world’s most
dangerous roads.
Driving Experiences, a UK company that sells driving gift vouchers
for vehicles ranging from super cars to tanks, compiled the list using data from
multiple sources, including country death tolls from the World Health
Organisation.
Positioned at number 15, between the Nairobi-Nakuru highway and the
Trans Siberian highway, the Settlers
Freeway runs from East London past Butterworth and Qunu to Mthatha. According to Driving Experience’s analysis, more people are killed on this stretch of road than any other road in South Africa.
Freeway runs from East London past Butterworth and Qunu to Mthatha. According to Driving Experience’s analysis, more people are killed on this stretch of road than any other road in South Africa.
“The main danger comes not from the road itself, but from the
vehicles and drivers using it, driving without due care and attention and
speeding.
“The road which cuts through various mountainous areas has many
barrier lines for its numerous hairpins, one unnervingly referred to as
‘Hospital Bend’, but many motorists just do not adhere to them,” states the
interactive map about Settlers Freeway.
The world's most dangerous stretch of tar
North Yungas, also known as the “Road of Death”, in Bolivia is believed to be the world’s most dangerous road and hazards include cars traveling in both directions in both lanes, narrow and uneven tracks and unprotected sheer drops of up to a 1 000 metres.
Up to 300 people reportedly die annually on this road which is less
than 70 km long. Wikipedia reports the very danger of the road has turned it
into a tourist attraction, with some 25 000 thrillseekers drawn since the 1995s,
when the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the “world’s most
dangerous road”.
Runners up in the white-knuckle ride stakes
Following shortly behind is the Nanga Parbat Pass in Pakistan, which climbs upward from the base on Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth tallest mountain.
In third spot is the James Dalton Highway, or the “Haul Road” in
Alaska.
The 666-km highway runs between Fairbanks to the North Slope and carries tankers that supply businesses with oil and gas in the cold north.
The main danger is not the “high winds carrying small rocks” or even the very cold temperatures, (the lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S -- minus 62 degrees Celsius -- was on this highway in the winter of 1971).
It is the isolation.
There is just one fuel stop at Coldfoot, which sits halfway to Deadhorse. For the rest of this eight-hour drive, there is no one else to help.
To make the Haul Road safer, a helicopter now patrols its twice a day to check for breakdowns.
The 666-km highway runs between Fairbanks to the North Slope and carries tankers that supply businesses with oil and gas in the cold north.
The main danger is not the “high winds carrying small rocks” or even the very cold temperatures, (the lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S -- minus 62 degrees Celsius -- was on this highway in the winter of 1971).
It is the isolation.
There is just one fuel stop at Coldfoot, which sits halfway to Deadhorse. For the rest of this eight-hour drive, there is no one else to help.
To make the Haul Road safer, a helicopter now patrols its twice a day to check for breakdowns.
