Stunning scenery and a fair few accidents.
Admittedly, I’m very used to these roads, living in Dubrovnik and using the D8 Adriatic Highway very often is the norm to me and despite all the plaques, flowers and memorials left along the sides of the mountain that leads directly down to the sea (and certain death) dedicated to those who have lost their lives – it doesn’t really bother me.
That being said, whenever visitors arrive from their various locations, I hear them talk about how scenic but ”how dangerous” that road is, they often say how they ”can’t look down” when using it. There are two in Dubrovnik, one above the other, and when you really think of it, if you got into an accident on either of them, with a dense rugged mountain wall on one side and a sheer drop into the sea on the other, you wouldn’t have much of a chance of making it out of that situation alive. It has to be said, the majority who come unstuck on those roads do not.
I imagine that those of us who use them regularly have become a bit de-sensitised, for want of a better word. However, according to an article by Insider, Croatia’s stunningly scenic coastal roads have made the cut (not sure its a good thing) and have been listed alongside some of the most dangerous roads in the world, including India’s Zoji Pass in the Himalayan mountains, where landslides often cause issues, the infamous Widow Maker in the United Kingdom, Skippers Canyon in New Zealand and the Vitim River Bridge in Siberia.
”The coast roads in Croatia cling to the side of cliffs” states Insider.
”The Adriatic coastal roads are known for their narrow two-way roads that lack a shoulder and safety barriers, and have blind corners and sharp turns that cling to the cliff side”.
While I personally wouldn’t place Croatia’s otherwise very, very good coastal roads alongside the highest motorway in the world, such as the Karakoram Highway between China and Pakistan, which sits at a daunting 16,000 feet, it does have to be said that accidents do happen frequently on Croatia’s coastal roads, but these are mainly due to reckless driving and care should be taken on any road, regardless of its location.
If you’d like to see Insider’s full list, click here.
