Alex Trelinski
MORE of Spain’s dangerous secondary roads will have red lines painted down the middle after fatal accidents dropped on a Malaga highway that tried it as an experiment.
The 42-kilometre-long A-357 became came known as ‘the road of death’ after 10 deaths in 2023- six of them in four months.
The road connects the interior of the Guadalhorce Valley with Marbella, passing through Coin, Monda, and Ojen.
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The high accident rate forced traffic officials to find a solution, which was to paint a thick red line in the middle of the double lines that separates the two single carriageways.
Around 21 kilometres of the A-357 now has the 30 centimetre-wide line which reminds motorists that they cannot overtake.
It acts as an added reminder to drivers and according to the DGT Traffic Authority, this can reduce accidents by up to 30%.
The pioneering move in Spain yielded results as there were only two deaths on this section of road last year.
Drivers say the red line brings an added sense of safety as it catches the attention of motorists with a psychological effect of making them think before driving on it.
The DGT then took the concept to the Asturias region on the AS-117 Nalon Corridor road which has a history of fatal accidents.
The measure was also combined with a speed limit cut and the introduction of safety cameras.
The red lines will also be rolled out to other single-carriageway blackspot roads in Spain.
