{"id":224889,"date":"2023-12-02T10:20:53","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T10:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allworldreport.com\/?p=224889"},"modified":"2023-12-02T10:20:53","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T10:20:53","slug":"europes-longest-ice-road-where-wearing-a-seatbelt-is-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allworldreport.com\/world-news\/europes-longest-ice-road-where-wearing-a-seatbelt-is-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe’s longest ice road where wearing a seatbelt is illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ice roads are found all around the world and are great natural structures utilised by humans to travel ordinarily difficult routes more easily. These open up only briefly, during the winter, when temperatures plunge low enough that vast stretches of water freeze over enough to take the weight of vehicles.<\/p>\n

You’d be forgiven for thinking this kind of phenomenon only occurs in far-flung places like northern Canada, Alaska, and other parts of the Arctic, but you’d be wrong. Temperatures can plunge to as low as -7C in Estonia, laying the perfect conditions for ice roads to open up, of which Europe’s longest is located.<\/p>\n

Measuring as many as 27 kilometres, or 16.7 miles, the Rohuk\u00fcla to Hiiumaa ice road is not for the faint-hearted, though it sees a handsome number of Estonians travel its icy path every year.<\/p>\n

Usually,\u00a0to get from Rohuk\u00fcla to Hiiumaa you must take a boat, for the vast Baltic Sea stands in the way. But when the temperatures drop the water freezes over, thick enough to hold cars, large trucks and 4x4s.<\/p>\n

Usually, the ice road is open from late January to late March \u2014 the case for much of the country \u2014 meaning for a short window of opportunity you can visit places ordinarily out of reach.<\/p>\n

READ MORE <\/strong> Beautiful European island you’ve never heard of dubbed a ‘huge spa for the soul’<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Driving on the Rohuk\u00fcla to Hiiumaa road is said to be an unforgettable experience, though there are a set of stringent and often bizarre rules in place for anyone brave enough to take on the journey.<\/p>\n

The biggest and perhaps most important is that you can’t drive along the ice road after sunset, for you could easily lose your way \u2014 not something you want to do when driving over frozen water.<\/p>\n

Then there’s the seatbelt rule: contrary to on the mainland, wearing a seatbelt while on the ice road is completely illegal. This is because drivers and passengers might need to make a fast exit from the vehicle due to\u00a0the danger of drowning if the ice cracks.<\/p>\n

Patrols keep watch all day long to ensure people are safe and abiding the rules, and to check that cars don’t move onto the ice at a rate of more than three minute intervals in order not to put too much pressure on the ice.<\/p>\n

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