It’s known as the ‘highway of death’ after claiming a dozen lives between 2023 and 2024 – 10 of those in a 12-month period.
The A-355, which measures just 40km, connects Marbella and the Costa del Sol with the inland Malaga town of Coin.
Since opening in 2014, it has been used by roughly 20,000 vehicles each day, which travel on a single lane in both directions.
This naturally makes crashes more likely, but add to that winding bends and varying gradients, and you have an extra heightened risk of collisions.
Now, authorities are worried about an uptick in incidents in 2025. This is because the vital A-397, which connects Ronda with the Costa del Sol, has been closed since last month following a landslide.
The repairs on the so-called ‘Ronda road’ are expected to take months, meaning more traffic on the A-355, especially during rush hour.
In March, a 19-year-old boy became the latest victim of the A-355, after colliding head on with another car just 10 days after getting his licence. His girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat, escaped with her life after suffering serious injuries.
Authorities have been taking action after a total of 10 deaths from 20 accidents were recorded on the road in 2023.
Last year, they painted a red line in between the lanes on the most dangerous stretch of the road. The red line means it is illegal to overtake.
The measure seemed to prove effective, with just one death from 10 accidents seen in 2024.
So far in 2025, there have been three crashes and the one fatality of the aforementioned teenager.
The road is one of the most complained about in Malaga province, and the Guardia Civil have been ramping up patrols to catch people speeding or trying to illegally overtake.
One source told Malaga Hoy: ‘This has no solution; the human factor is unpredictable.’
The national traffic authority (DGT) announced last year that it will be installing two new speed cameras on the black spot of the road, with warning signs leading up to them.
Coin town hall expressed its concern to the Regional Ministry of Public Works that more traffic will lead to an uptick in accidents.
Other measures have also since been taken, including reinforcing warning signs and laying down milled treads, which make a noise when tires go over them to alert drivers who may be veering too far off the road.
