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We've all got that one stretch of road (and probably a round-about or two) that makes us grip the steering wheel a bit tighter. It might be the junction where near-misses seem to happen weekly, or that bend where you've seen one too many skid marks. But have you ever wondered which roads in Spain truly deserve their fearsome reputations?

 

Every year, the European Motorists' Association (known locally as Automovilistas Europeos Asociados or AEA) crunches the numbers to reveal the nation's most dangerous roads. Using their Average Danger Index, they spotlight any stretch where the risk level soars more than ten times above the national average.

 

The Region of Murcia has found itself in the spotlight once again and not for reasons anyone would celebrate. The AEA's latest report, compiled using date from the Ministry of Transport, has identified ten particularly nasty black spots scattered across the N-301, N-342 and the AP-7 motorway.

 

Looking at conventional roads across Spain, five sections in Murcia have earned themselves dubious places among the 270 most dangerous in the entire country.

 

The N-301 is particularly notorious. At kilometre 341, cutting through Cieza, the road claims 196th position nationally with an Average Hazard Index of 102.4. Further along the same road, kilometres 357 and 365 (also passing through Cieza and Blanca) sit at 151st and 152nd respectively, both registering a truly alarming AHI of 117.1. That's more than fourteen times the national average of 8.2.

 

Then there's the N-342, the old Murcia to Lorca dual carriageway that many locals still use daily. Two consecutive kilometres, 93 and 94, both in Lorca, appear at positions 158 and 159 with an Average Danger Index of 115.2. Across these five stretches alone, ten people have lost their lives.

 

 

While motorways typically see fewer accidents than dual carriageways, the AP-7 cutting through the Region features five times in the national top 100 most dangerous sections.

 

Kilometre 857, passing through Mazarrón with an Average Danger Index of 29.7, sits in a worrying tenth place overall. Kilometre 837, also in Mazarrón, comes in at 38th. Meanwhile, kilometre 810 through Cartagena claims 40th position, the stretch around San Javier at kilometre 782 lands in 55th and kilometre 801 near Los Beatos in Cartagena rounds things out at 64th place with an index of 11.7.

 

Zooming out to the national picture, Spain currently has 270 kilometres of particularly dangerous conventional roads and 100 high-risk motorway sections. Between 2019 and 2023 (the latest complete data we have), these notorious black spots witnessed 1,563 accidents and claimed 2,169 victims.

 

If you're curious about the absolute worst stretch in the country, that dubious honour goes to kilometre 243 of the N-4a in Ciudad Real. Its danger rating sits at a mind-boggling 598 times higher than the national average.

 

Meanwhile, kilometre 0 of the A-77a in Alicante holds the unenviable record for sheer volume of road carnage, with 104 accidents and 150 casualties.

 

Of the 270 stretches flagged this year, 109 had already appeared in last year's report. More worryingly still, nine of them have actually become more dangerous over the past twelve months.

 

As for the safest roads in Spain, you probably won't be shocked to learn that toll motorways top that list. The AEA did identify 75 stretches on toll roads with danger indices three times above the national average, where 396 accidents injured 640 people.

 

However, 605 of those casualties walked away with only minor injuries, which tells its own story about the relative safety of well-maintained, properly designed roads.

 

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Image: Carreteras Españolas