SD to samana is the most dangerous road in DR

LTSteve

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Jul 9, 2010
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Really the only reason it is dangerous is because people that travel on this road drive to fast for some of the conditions that exist. I loved driving that highway and did it both at night and day. I never saw anything that was inherently dangerous with this road unless you you drive like many who have no regard for the speed limit or insist on passing on a double yellow line on a curve. If you don't drive like you're at the Daytona 500 you will have no problems, except for some local a__holes.
 

ju10prd

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Nov 19, 2014
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http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/02/21/autopista-nordeste-es-la-mas-peligrosa/
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...-308-puntos-criticos-para-accidentes-transito

the road from SD to samana is considered to be the most dangerous in the country, followed by autopista duarte, carretera sanchez and autopista las americas.
full reports in links above.

The accident involving the Las Terrenas bus a couple of years back will likely have distorted the figures for Autopista Juan Pablo 2.

I think that those of us who have driven and drive that single carriageway highway and to international standards would consider it considerably safer than Autopista Las Americas or Duarte.
 

LTSteve

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Jul 9, 2010
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The accident involving the Las Terrenas bus a couple of years back will likely have distorted the figures for Autopista Juan Pablo 2.

I think that those of us who have driven and drive that single carriageway highway and to international standards would consider it considerably safer than Autopista Las Americas or Duarte.

Without a doubt. The traffic is normally very light and it is a straight run except for a short section of curves going through the park. Autopista Las Americas is much worse with many more terrible drivers.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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It's the best road in the country for speed.....the toll road

I have seen any number of fast luxuries blow by me..

Bentley Coupes, Italian Stallions.... all of them
and the twists at the end are what they live for.

Having owned one of those....
It's hard to be too critical.....

They go fast but they stop fast too and handle better than anything else on the road.

I'm not making excuses for them - just saying.
Like high end athletes - they outperform.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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I used to drive that road once. a week.  Had two near misses.  

I overcooked a bend when it was raining and lost control.  That road is really slippery when wet.  Luckily I managed to recover the skid and regain control albeit on the other side of the road and luckily no one was coming in the opposite direction.

I then discovered that my car had emergency brake assist when I was travelling at night.  A black horse appeared in my headlights straight in front of me in the middle of the road.  My brakes saved me and the horse.
 

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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Without a doubt the toll highway north to south compared to the other highways that are available is pretty good. There are a few engineering deficiencies that do pose problems though. During and after a heavy rain, in some spots, water tends to pool in the middle of the roadway rather than drain off to the sides. Quite unexpectedly, a driver can find their vehicle traversing a section of pavement covered by and inch of water. Hydroplaning is a real possibility for those who do not slow down until the roadway is dry again. Some of the curves through the hills are a bit sharp and slant at an excessive angle making higher speed steering a challenge. Granted in this section speed limits are reduced, but that is not necessarily enough to keep bad drivers and bad cars in their own lane going around these bends.

While the road is pretty good, the same can not be said for the majority of drivers. The same driving mentality and practices encountered on the other highways are no different on this one. A lack of driverg skill, a complete absence of any sort of understanding or implementation of defensive driving theory, unexpected obstacles and poor vehicle maintenance abound.

Elsewhere in the world, these types of roads have both an upper and lower speed limit. A minimum speed helps ensure motorists don't come upon a vehicle bumbling along at 20 km/h escepecially important in the in the dark. Poor tire condition in light of the way this highway sheds water (or does not) is an accident waiting to happen.

On a highway such as this, there is no excuse for allowing motos with engines smaller than 250cc to dart about on either side of the roadway. As with most roads in the this country, day or night, it is not uncommon to encounter farm animals meandering about. It should not be possible for these animals to stumble onto the highway and certainly not herded down it by farmers moving their animals from one location to another.

Every so often, one passes an access road that feeds directly onto the highway and in some place actually crosses it and continues on the other side. Traffic entering, exiting and crossing the hwy are an ever present hazard. Normally on a road such as this there are entrance and exit ramps that preclude traffic entering the traffic flow until they have a chance to reach highways speeds and eliminate the possibility of misjudging the speed of oncoming traffic before hurtling oneself across the highway because waiting for a safer opporunity is just not done here.

There is a lot that is wrong with the highway system in this country. First and foremost is the is that highways really aren't highways because they are treated as and used as any other roadway for all manner of vehicles and purposes including as pedestrian walkways.

Bad drivers, poorly maintained vehicles, minimalist engineering, inappropriate vehicular traffic and all sorts of impediments and hazards to the flow of high speed traffic make this highway and all the others exactly the same - a threat to everyone who uses them.

The most deadly highway on the country? A dubious distinction, as they are all deadly. The only difference, this one appears on the surface to be a cut above the rest and as such an invitation to higher speeds and a false sense of security as one erroneously exhales a sigh of relief after leaving the regular highways at the top and bottom of this road and relaxes just a bit too much more often than not.
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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It cants the wrong way in spots....

Not perfect but it’s what we have

Picking the right tire helps with the hydroplaning issue.
Pirelli ATR.. was my choice

When I had the Italian import I had tires that threw the water up past the side mirror 
Like being in a boat 

The rubber never left the road 
 

Blueceo

Member
Nov 1, 2015
192
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I've driven this road many times and several times while pulling a boat and trailer. I think it's one of the best roads in the country and never felt it was dangerous at all. I can see where things could get out of hand at times but really no different then in many other parts of the country.
 

Africaida

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Jun 19, 2009
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It's the best road in the country for speed.....the toll road

I have seen any number of fast luxuries blow by me..

Bentley Coupes, Italian Stallions.... all of them
and the twists at the end are what they live for.

Every time, I have taken the road, especially if there is a long weekend or holiday (dia feriado), I have seen convoys of luxury cars blow by us (looks like Dominicanos from the Capital).

In January, on my way to SDQ, two huge motorcycles passed us, then 45 minutes later saw one of the same motorcyclist carried by an ambulance. :alien:
 
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Joe Boots

Member
Jun 16, 2008
353
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For sure one of the better highways. Never seen that much traffic so yes, people drive too fast. I concur with several posters. There are engineering problems and it is definitely slippery when wet. On somewhat rainy days with virtually no traffic I saw accidents. I was like geese how did they find each other. Also seen cars off the road. I still think this highway is great.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Every time, I have taken the road, especially if there is a long weekend or holiday (dia feriado), I have seen convoys of luxury cars blow by us (looks like Dominicanos from the Capital).

In January, on my way to SDQ, two huge motorcycles passed us, then 45 minutes later saw one of the same motorcyclist carried by an ambulance. :alien:

Not Frank12...
Yet...
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
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The Autopista del Nordeste (officially Autopista Juan Pablo II) is a beautiful and interesting road to drive on. All said above is so true. Avoid this road at night and when it is raining, for reasons explained above.

For safe driving, keep to the speed limits of 50Kph and 80kph. While driving at 50kph may seem like the car is not moving, it will allow for delightful and safe observation of the outstanding scenery especially when driving through the Parque Nacional Los Haitises. Take note, traffic officers are stopping people for doing 85 or 55. Enjoy the scenery and stay safe!
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
3,512
413
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I love the drive on this stretch of road, but I am cognizant of some of the issues associated with it. It sure beats going via the capital when traveling Cabarete to Bavaro.

As WW said, some curves cant/pitch the wrong direction.

Also, I’ve had the experience in the mountains of losing traction in a curve with the road damp, and this was under 60kph with decent tires. It’s a scary second or two until you regain control. I’ve another friend who had a similar experience sliding in a curve but recovered in time.

Overall, I like the road. The scenery is great. But caution is indeed warranted.
 

ROLLOUT

Silver
Jan 30, 2012
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I think that some of you folks at times forget that you are driving in a developing country.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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It’s not just that road where you can lose traction 

The rough surface here makes it harder... I think 

Can be slippier than a seal ....
 

chico bill

Dogs Better than People
May 6, 2016
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Has anyone timed the trip from Cabarete via POP-Santiago-SD vs this Samana-SD road ? The big problem is you have to go by Nagua - a roadblock checkpoint, I get stoped there nearly every time and it's a city where time stood still.

I can't exactly put my finger on it but I suspect they did medical experiments on the residents of Nagua years ago ?
 

CFA123

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May 29, 2004
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Has anyone timed the trip from Cabarete via POP-Santiago-SD vs this Samana-SD road ? The big problem is you have to go by Nagua - a roadblock checkpoint, I get stoped there nearly every time and it's a city where time stood still.

I can't exactly put my finger on it but I suspect they did medical experiments on the residents of Nagua years ago ?

For me my route from Cabarete depends where in the capital I’m going. If my destination is airport side of the river, I go via Nagua. If not, I go via Jamao.

Airport is about 3 hours via Nagua and north side of the capital about 3 hours via Jamao/Moca. Getting further into the city varies time of day/day of week.

I wouldn’t go via Puerto Plata to the capital unless the mountain road was down.