Estonia is home to the longest official glacier road in Europe, and it runs 25 km of frozen ice along the country’s coast, where it is illegal to wear a seat belt and drive at a moderate speed. Special from August, but this icy road is a frozen stretch of the Baltic Sea that connects the Estonian coast to the island of Huma. It has some rather unorthodox driving rules.

On this road you cannot drive after sunset, wearing a seat belt is illegal, as well as driving at speeds between 25 and 40 km/h, odditycentral says.

Ice travel is part of Estonian culture. The Teutonic Knights did this on horseback on their way to the islands in the 13th century. Villagers used thick ice to bring supplies from the mainland, and even wild animals like bears and wolves used it to travel to and from the islands in search of food. To this day, transportation is still less expensive and more convenient, at least compared to paying for a ferry ride.

Ice road in Estonia

In the winter, when the ice becomes thick and stiff enough, it is not uncommon to see hundreds of vehicles plying Europe’s longest icy road every day, however, they must all abide by unique rules of the road.

Also from the road instructions, driving at speeds less than 25 km/h, or more than 40 km/h, as driving at speeds within this range for too long can lead to ice breaking, it is clear that tires and vehicle movement creates vibrations similar to an arc wave For a ship, staying in motion for a long time makes the wave strong enough to break the ice and send the drivers to a watery grave.

Ice road in Estonia

Some say the vibration warning is nothing but a myth, but no one has the courage to defy it, after all, if it turns out to be true, the risk of drowning or death from hypothermia is very real.

Seat belts are mandatory across most of Europe’s road network, but not on the longest of the six official icy roads in Estonia. It is illegal to wear them, as in the case of icebreakers, because you may need to get out of the car as quickly as possible.

It is also prohibited to stop a vehicle on the icy road, and it is also prohibited to drive after sunset. Vehicles must maintain a distance of at least 250 meters between them, and enter the icy road at intervals of not less than 3 minutes.