Vehicles are only allowed to enter the road in three minute intervals

Speed limit of 25–43mph or under 16mph to avoid cracking the surface

Seatbelts are forbidden as drivers may need to quickly exit their car

A road on which you cannot wear seatbelts, wolves may cross your path and driving is not allowed after sunset, has now opened to plucky drivers.

Estonia has opened the first of its six official ice roads, from the seaside resort town of Haapsalu to the Noarootsi peninsula in western Estonia.

The road, the shortest of the six national ice roads potentially opened each winter, cuts travel time significantly as drivers take a shortcut across the frozen Baltic sea.

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Cars driving on the first official ice road of the season from Haapsalu to the Noarootsi peninsula

The 18-mile drive from Haapsalu to the Noarootsi can be shortened to a mere two and a half miles by using the ice road route.

But there is a risk of death, freezing and drowning should the ice break.

And the regular highway code doesn't apply on this road which opens from 10am until 5pm, and is restricted to vehicles weighing up to two and a half tons.

Drivers and their passengers are not allowed to wear seatbelts because they might need to make a fast exit from the vehicle due to the danger of drowning if the ice cracks.

Vehicles are only allowed to enter the road in three minute intervals and drivers cannot wear seatbelts in case they need to make a sudden and 'unexpected' exit from the car

With patrols keeping watch throughout the day, vehicles are only allowed to enter the road in three minute intervals and drivers are advised not get too close to the car ahead of them in case the weight causes a crack in the ice.



Cars cannot stop and recommended travelling speeds are under 16 mph or between 25–43 mph due to the danger of creating 'resonance in the ice layer' - or a wave beneath the surface which could break the ice.

And Mother Nature dictates how long Estonia's ice roads stay open for - temperatures need to plummet for the ice to reach the required thickness of around 11 inches.

In 2010, the longest highway was only open for 11 days in February, before the onset of spring and temperatures warming up again.

Stretching for 16 miles across a frozen expanse of the Baltic Sea, the ice road linking Estonia's mainland port of Rohukula with Hiiumaa island is the longest in Europe.

An icy bump start: People push a car to leave the ice road, which is only open to vehicles weighing less than two and a half tons

Locals enjoy the opening of the ice roads, which they say are a more cost effective and faster way of getting around Estonia. Pictured, cars wait in line to get on the route

A perilous journey? Cars make their way along the road - but drivers are advised to travel between speeds 25–43mph or under 16mph to avoid creating waves beneath the surface - which could crack the ice

Estonia's roads could be open for days or weeks - the highways authority will only allow cars to drive along it if the ice is 11 inches thick

People look on as cars leave to make the journey along the ice road. But there is a risk of death, freezing and drowning should the ice break

A different set of rules: Drivers need to be aware of the highway code which applies to Estonia's ice roads

Stretching for 16 miles across a frozen expanse of the Baltic Sea, the ice road linking Estonia's mainland port of Rohukula with Hiiumaa island is the longest in Europe



