How dangerous is biking the Death Road in Bolivia?

Biking down the Death Road (North Yungas Road) is honestly way safer now, because motor traffic was shifted to a new highway in 2006, but it is still an extreme sport. The track keeps some real dangers, like 1,000-metre drop-offs, loose grit, and sudden changes in weather.

That descent covers 64 kilometres, and it throws you down roughly 3,500 metres in elevation from freezing alpine passes into the warm, humid Amazon basin. The current threats are mostly about rider conduct and whether the gear actually holds up. Too much speed at blind turns, getting dragged on wet mud, and trusting brakes that are poorly maintained are the main perils riders meet today.