I'll admit to having frightened a few friends and acquaintances while driving over winding mountain roads with blind corners and terrifying drops into the valleys below. Not that I ever put them at risk. There are techniques for driving fast safely and as an ex-race-and-rally driver (admittedly in a much earlier era) I'm familiar with most. And while I'm always pleased to recommend great driving roads based on a combination of scenery and driver challenges, I've never chosen them on the basis of danger. Until now.

DarkRoastedBlend is a Web site that recommends (perhaps avoiding) the most dangerous roads in the world. It includes the Top Five; the magnificent Guoliang Tunnel Road in China; sheer drops from Nepal to Tibet; spectacular Alpine passes (I've driven a few); Norway fjord roads; crazy routes in Pakistan, Romania, Ethiopia, Zaire and, thank goodness, the most beautiful roads of the world.

What is most significant about this site is that it honors the continuing existence of places where driving is still a challenge and where the troubles of the modern automotive world can be forgotten.