After nearly a decade behind the wheel of Discovery’s “Canada’s Worst Driver,” host Andrew Younghusband is taking it to the next level as he travels the roads of the most challenging and congested urban centres on the planet in “Don’t Drive Here.” With six new (and barely drivable) cities, Season 2 premieres tonight on Discovery at 10pm and kicks off in Nairobi, Kenya.
Younghusband, who has a jam-packed stamp-filled passport and a thirst to try and see anything that’s new, told Crave readers about the new season of “Don’t Drive Here,” what he learned about getting behind the wheel in some of the world’s most congested (and terrifying) cities, and why he doesn’t have a travel bucket list.
CraveOnline: Tell us what viewers can expect in the new season of “Don’t Drive Here”?
Andrew Younghusband: There are six one-hour shows where I’m going to the most dangerous places we can find and driving as many different vehicles as I can.
CraveOnline: Where is the craziest place to drive?
Well there are different factors [to consider] depending on your definition of crazy. I find Vietnam completely crazy – everyone has two-wheelers (90% of the residents get around on scooters) and it’s legal to have four or five people on there, children don’t have to wear helmets, and everyone can share the road. There are no lanes and you can literally reach out and touch a family next to you.
In Sao Paolo, Brazil there are 700,000 moto-boy delivery drivers on motorcycles and they go 100 kilometres an hour in the city and drive between lanes on the white lines. That job is so dangerous that two moto-boys die every single day. And I did that – it’s terrifying because if you slip up you’re going to die.
Haiti is mayhem on so many levels and the poverty is so acute there. There are a lot of homemade vehicles, while they’re technically illegal it’s allowed – there’s zero enforcement with very few police officers on the ground. Whoever gets there first gets the right of way.
In Italy – you think you know a place – but did you know that 14-year-olds are allowed to drive cars there? And they’ve all had accidents – they can’t process the life and death of it all
You’ve been both in front of and behind the camera – which do you prefer?
I like the whole idea of something new, something that’s a challenge, and while I really love working in front of the camera I enjoy the editing and writing process. In general I enjoy storytelling as a whole, so I love the fact that I can be the guy in front of the camera and have influence over the way its shot, and then participate in the editing. I’m a bit of a control freak and like seeing the whole story through.
You’ve been to how many countries?
I think it’s about 60 countries.
Are there any other destinations on your travel bucket list?
Antarctica – it’s the only continent that I’ve never been to. I like going anywhere I’ve never been. I had time off and did a bike trip from Cairo to Cape Town. I’d like to go everywhere – there’s no real bucket list.
Photo: Don’t Drive Here/Discovery
