Dangerous Roads in Canada

Where to eat or sleep is generally part of any good road tripper’s planning. But the condition – and subsequent safety – of the roads and highways you plan on traversing is equally important to consider before heading out on your next long drive. According to the Canadian Automobile Association, whether it’s congested traffic, poor design, potholes, or unmaintained pavement, many of Canada’s highways are need of some serious work or redesign. As a guide to the planning of your next road trip, here are the 10 most dangerous roads in Canada.

The allure of the Northern Lights may be enticing, but driving in Canada’s most northern regions can sometimes be more dangerous than a polar bear encounter. Take the almost-600-km-long road from Tibbitt Lake to Contwoyto Lake, made famous by the Ice Road Truckers reality TV show. Considered one of the most dangerous routes in the world, the biggest challenge is that 85 per cent of the road winds its way over frozen – and sometimes not-so-frozen – lakes.

Falling asleep behind the wheel may be the biggest issue when driving across Canada’s vast yet monotonous Prairie provinces. But there is a particular stretch of prairie road that has become lethal: Highway 11 – a major north-south route, between Prince Albert and Saskatoon, Sask., also known as the Louis Riel Trail after the 19th century Métis leader. Between 2003 and 2007, there were 883 collisions, 308 persons injured and 17 people killed on Highway 11, making that section of highway one of the most dangerous in the province.

Two reasons why road trippers enjoy driving through the province of British Columbia are the remoteness and the easy access to wildlife. But some stretches of B.C. highway have ended up being a war-zone between man, machines and nature. During the summer road-trip season, the section of the Trans-Canada Highway that runs between Yoho National Park and Golden, B.C. now carries more than 10,000 vehicles per day. Run-ins with wildlife cause loss of life to both animals and humans, and vehicle damage.

Ever since the area became accessible to the public during the late 1880s, Rogers Pass in the middle of Glacier National Park, British Columbia, has been a popular spot for camping, hiking and mountain climbing. But getting there by car can be a dangerous proposition. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, responsible for patrolling the roads in that area of B.C., says the section of the Trans-Canada Highway between Sicamous and Rogers Pass, B.C. is dangerous due to the number of transport vehicles involved in fatal crashes.

If you live in southern Ontario, you know how dangerous the province’s busy 401 highway can be, especially in and around the Greater Toronto Area. If it’s not congested traffic, it’s the speeding tractor-trailers drivers which sometimes overturn on ramps. But according to data collected by the Ontario Provincial Police, the section of the 401 between Whites Rd. in Pickering, and Courtice Rd. east of Oshawa, has the highest numbers of traffic accidents in the province.

Even more dangerous than the section that crosses the Rogers Pass, is the section of the Trans-Canada Highway that winds over the Rocky Mountains, east from the resort town of Banff, Alta., to the B.C. border. With much of the highway still only two lanes, many drivers feel the need to make dangerous passing manoeuvres, which has resulted in many fatal accidents. The incidence of automobile and wildlife accidents are also high in this area.

On our energy-starved planet, Alberta’s Athabasca Oil Sands project – the largest reservoir of crude bitumen in the world – often makes headlines. But as the only all-weather road leading in or out of the town nearest to the oil sands, Fort McMurray Alta., Highway 63 has ended up as one of the most dangerous roads in Canada. Since 2004, traffic to and from the booming city has increased by more than 30 per cent. And between then and 2009, 22 people had died and more than 250 have been injured.

As you may have figured by now, some of the most dangerous highways in Canada have two-lanes or are undivided highways. So is the third most dangerous road in the country, the six-kilometre section of Trans-Canada Highway that runs through Headingley, Man. Located directly west of the province’s largest city, Winnipeg, Headingley only has a population of less than 3,000. But the undivided stretch of the Trans-Canada that runs though it averages 18,000 cars every daily. The sheer volume has resulted in more than 100 accidents annually in recent years, many of which are fatal.

While city folks from central Canada may think of driving in Canada’s Maritime provinces as a more laid back experience, Nova Scotia’s Highway 103, the east-west route between Halifax and Yarmouth, is number two on our list. About 300 km long, it wraps around the south shore of the Atlantic coast providing some stellar views. However, Highway 103 also has a dangerous reputation: 10 people died in automobile accidents in 2009 alone, according to the province’s Department of Transportation. A further 19 have been killed since 2006.

Winding its way between the towns of Lac du Bonnet, Great Falls, Fort Alexander, and finally Traverse Bay on the Eastern Beaches of Lake Manitoba, the province’s Highway 11 is certainly picturesque. But it’s also deadly. In 2009, the road witnessed one death for every 10 km of this 50 km stretch, making it the most dangerous highway in Canada.