Yielding on this road is probably a good idea.

Driving is a dangerous activity, and that’s specifically why you always need to have car insurance. But most roads are fairly safe and flat. Imagine if you had to drive every day on a road that is perched on a cliff or some other dangerous condition; you might think about drinking an extra cup of coffee before beginning your commute. So feel lucky. Because even though driving as a whole is a risky activity, some of these routes are utterly dangerous every single time they are driven, and not just because of traffic.

10. Pakistan By Truck

How would you enjoy driving through snowy mountain landscapes? OK, maybe that sounds fun, but what if you’re driving a LARGE TRUCK?

9. Himalayan Craziness

When you think Himalayas, you think icy conditions. Well, not always as seen here. The driver in this video is apparently used to moving really fast.

8. Would You Cross This Bridge?

Seriously, this is a floating bridge. Literally. We’ve heard of suspension cables, but this is ridiculous! And check out the other bridges in this video for more hair-raising excitement.

7. Directly Down

Another shot directly from Pakistan. In this one, you can see what’s at stake: if you slip up, you’re essentially diving off a cliff.

6. Mountainous Yemen

The peaks in Yemen are truly beautiful. But don’t let that distract you, because the tiny brick wall at the edge of the road is not going to stop your vehicle from going over.

 

5. Why So Narrow?

Not only is this Bolivian road on a mountain, but there are wet conditions as well. And the road is so narrow that it would only take one slick spot to finish you off.

4. China-Pakistan Border

They say that Osama Bin Laden is hidden in hills like these. It’s no wonder that we haven’t been able to find him – he’s not driving anywhere!

 

3. Rocky Road

This stretch of road seems so bumpy, you’d wonder if the shocks went out on this vehicle. Although it doesn’t really look like any type of suspension would help smooth out this ride.

2. Hawaiian One Lane Bridges

In Hawaii, they don’t make two lane bridges for two lane roads. At least not on this road to a place called Hana. You just have to deal with it.

1. Indian Traffic, Taxicab Style

When you’re an Indian cab driver, you are paid by the fare. So the best way to make money is to drive as fast as possible, and ignore right-of-way rules. Welcome to dangerous flat-lands.

Pictures (Chronological)

http://thecontaminated.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/dangerous-roads-1.jpg

“Excuse me sir, I believe I have the right of way.”

Think the amount of money you have to spend on car insurance is totally outrageous? Think again. At least we have sane traffic planners here in the United States. In some countries, it doesn’t appear that anyone is thinking about how they even plan their intersections.

If you’ve been to a foreign country, you probably know what we’re talking about here. It’s no wonder why people have to pay even more than we do for insurance in other parts of the world.

Have you had any foreign traffic nightmares?  tell us about them in the comments section.  Take a look at these videos and if you ever find yourself driving in these intersections, don’t say we didn’t warn you!

10. Japan

Seriously, how would you like to have to deal with that many pedestrians during your commute? Tokyo sure does have a lot of people…

9. Russia

We’re not sure if it’s because of the ice or the vodka, but these drivers in St. Petersburg sure don’t know how to obey basic traffic laws in this security video.

8. Syria

It looks like no one knows what right of way is here. We’re not even clear if there are any traffic signals at this intersection.

Cambodia

It doesn’t appear as if anyone really knows what’s going on here, they’re just trying to get to where they are going. How would you like to do this on your commute?

Argentina

In Argentina, most towns don’t have traffic signs/signals. It’s a free for all! Here is a video in one town on how they cope.

Egypt

As you can see here, in Egypt it is customary while driving to try and squeeze your vehicle into any small space possible.

China

This video of a Shanghai intersection shows you the mortal dangers of making a left turn while driving in China. Look out for those buses!

Vietnam

Ok, we’ve got buses! We’ve got cars! We’ve got motor scooters! We’ve got bicycles! We’ve got pedestrians! We’ve got total chaos!

India

Again, this clip just shows the perils of the turn. The problem here is that everyone has to wait (and honk) while a few souls turn at this huge intersection.

Italy

There are motor scooters and motorcycles everywhere, and drivers just where they want to without obeying any rules of traffic.

Photo Credits:

http://maoxian.com/nothing-to-fear

SafeAuto is happy to announce that Starbeast Motorsports driver Narain Karthikeyan «NA-rain kar-thee-KAY-un» will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on March 27 in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Karthikeyan, who is India’s first NASCAR driver, will drive the Wyler Racing No. 60 SafeAuto Chevrolet Silverado. Karthikeyan previously tested an ARCA car at Daytona International Speedway in December and brings 22 seasons of experience in open wheel racing including Formula 1 and the Le Mans Series.

“The opportunity to compete in a NASCAR series is a dream come true for me,” said Karthikeyan. “I have raced all over the world, but this is a different kind of challenge for me and I look forward to learning everything I can about racing in this environment. NASCAR is known for its passionate fans. I am excited to be introducing India to this sport and hope to help develop an equally passionate fan base there.”

Newly formed Starbeast Motorsports is focused on bringing NASCAR to the international community through foreign drivers. Karthikeyan is the center of Starbeast’s efforts to grow the sport in India.

Starbeast Motorsports and Karthikeyan have entered into an agreement with Wyler Racing for the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Karthikeyan will race the No. 60 in select races to be announced at a later date. SafeAuto Insurance will serve as the primary sponsor after signing a multi-year agreement with Wyler Racing and driver Stacy Compton in 2009.

“We have always had a desire to work with drivers to help with their transition into NASCAR,” said Stacy Compton, who has driven in 27 events for Wyler Racing since partnering with the team last year. Compton will serve as a driver coach to help assist Karthikeyan as he makes the transition from open wheel racing to NASCAR.

“SafeAuto is excited to have such an accomplished Formula 1 driver behind the wheel of our race truck,” commented Jon Diamond, president of SafeAuto, “Many of our customers are fans of NASCAR and we are looking forward to being part of taking this sport to an international level.”

Martinsville Speedway ran its first NASCAR race on July 4, 1948. The speedway is located three miles south of Martinsville, Va., and is the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still running Cup Series events.

Richard Petty remains the track's leading winner with 15 victories. Seven drivers scored top-10 finishes in both Martinsville races in 2009: Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart according to NASCAR.com.

The NASCAR debut is in Martinsville on Saturday March 27 at 1.30 ET on the Speed Channel. You can view a complete list of the 2010 NASCAR Truck Series schedule on the official NASCAR site, http://www.nascar.com/races/truck/2010/data/schedule.html.

[Source: Wyler Racing, NASCAR]