At the height of the sectarian war in Iraq, death stalked the highway that stretches north from Baghdad to Baquba. Hundreds of people perished along the 38-mile (60km) route, the victims of roadside bombs, ambushes and fake checkpoints.

It was no-go territory for most foreign journalists in 2006 and 2007 unless embedded with American troops — and even then the journey was dangerous, with Shia militants or Sunni gunmen lurking in farmland and villages along the way.

This week The Times ventured along the road for the first time in a civilian car. Violence in Iraq has dropped to its lowest level in four years, enabling Iraqis and foreigners alike to visit areas that had been out of bounds six months ago.

Admittedly, we had an Iraqi police escort of two vehicles, one in front and another behind, but I would have deemed even an escorted trip too risky before. Police are a favourite ambush target and have been infiltrated in the past.

Head covered in a scarf and heart beating abnormally fast, I ducked into the back seat of my car and we pulled out into the Baghdad traffic.

Before long we passed under a green metal arch, which marks the boundary of the Iraqi capital. Our police escort, lights flashing and sirens wailing, picked up speed.

Looking around, there was no sign of the rogue checkpoints that once stopped vehicles and carried out random killings, nor were there any US military stop points.

In fact, we did not run into a single American patrol along the way, which felt strange but is becoming increasingly common as troops keep to their bases and Iraqi forces take control.

Security is still a concern, as demonstrated by several Iraqi checkpoints that line the route, forcing traffic to slow down for inspection.

Passing through one, made of concrete blast walls painted a light green and daubed with pictures of the red, green and black Iraqi flag, there were no longer instructions in English and Arabic, as had been the case previously.

Instead, everything was in Arabic, including patriotic phrases such as “Iraq first” and “The law is for everybody”. “Wanted” posters were also on display, showing the faces of men accused of attacks and offering a reward for information.

Villages showed signs of reconstruction, while some of the most humble mud huts boasted a satellite dish on the roof.

After half an hour we entered Baquba, speeding through the bullet-scarred city — which was once a stronghold for al-Qaeda — to the police headquarters, our destination.

The journey home was just as uneventful.

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