January of 2024 was the deadliest month in terms of traffic deaths in Iceland’s history. Six people lost their lives in car accidents; one in an accident near Vík, two on Grindavíkurvegur, two near Skaftafell, and one in Hvalfjörður. Such a rate of fatal accidents had not been seen since record keeping began some 50 years ago.
Iceland ranks among the safer countries in Europe when it comes to road safety, and the accident rate has declined steadily over the last couple of decades due to road improvements and safer cars. The deadliest year of this century was in 2000, when 32 people died in traffic. In comparison, nine people died in traffic collisions in all of 2023.
But as tourism increases beyond pre-pandemic levels, and more and more cars hit the often-icy roads, authorities are looking for new ways to ensure motorist safety. In addition to costing lives, traffic collisions incur an estimated ISK 40 billion [$289 million, €268 million] in costs for Icelandic society as a whole. In order to tackle the issue, the Ministry of Infrastructure adopted a 15-year road safety plan last year. Focusing on the three principles of safer motorists, safer roads, and safer vehicles, the plan aims to make Iceland one of the top five European nations in traffic safety by decreasing the number of deaths and serious injuries by 5% every year until 2038. Additionally, the plan aims to reduce collision-related costs during this period.
Not zero yet
When introducing the plan last year, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister of Infrastructure, said that Iceland should aspire to reach the same levels of road safety as it has for safety at sea. “We must always look to decrease the number of accidents, prevent pain, and minimise societal cost,” he said. “With increased investment in road infrastructure, we can adopt a Vision Zero policy like many of our peer nations.”
Vision Zero is a multi-national road traffic safety project that aims to achieve a system with no fatalities or serious injuries. Instead of a cost-benefit analysis, where monetary value is placed on life and health, Vision Zero is based on the principle that “life and health can never be exchanged for other benefits within the society.” The project was first adopted in Sweden in 1997, where traffic fatalities have steadily decreased despite an increase in traffic. It has since been implemented in various cities and countries across the globe. With Vision Zero, speed limits are lowered, especially in urban areas, as collisions at lower speeds are less likely to cause serious harm.
The new Icelandic road safety plan does not adopt Vision Zero, as a 5% decrease in the number of deaths and serious injuries would still leave room for some 80 such cases per year at the tail end of the plan in 2038. However, the plan includes benchmarks in the spirit of Vision Zero, such as no traffic fatalities among children under 14 or due to lack of seat belt use.
Unfamiliar conditions
Car rental companies in Iceland announced record profits in 2022 as tourism resurged following the lifting of COVID restrictions. At the same time, the number of rental cars available in Iceland reached an all-time high. Tourist numbers have bounced back from pandemic lows and are expected to break the previous annual record this year, with a steady rise projected in the coming years.
This increase in drivers on the roads brings new challenges. Iceland’s roads can become dangerous due to sudden shifts in weather. Additionally, snowfall and fog can blind drivers, while low temperatures can cause roads to become slippery. As many tourists are not used to driving in these conditions, authorities are concerned that without proper information, they can end up in harm’s way. Locals themselves are also not immune to the difficulties of these circumstances, even on safer urban roads. In January, for example, traffic chaos ensued in Reykjavík when a power outage coincided with a snowstorm. Dozens of collisions were reported, thankfully none involving serious injuries.
In some cases, car rental companies have taken it upon themselves to advise tourists on road safety. Common advice includes heeding wind and weather warnings, informing them that headlights must be on at all times according to law (even during daytime), being careful on single-lane bridges, keeping an eye out for sheep on the road, slowing down when approaching gravel roads, and never stopping on the side of the road to take photos, especially on the busy Ring Road that circles the island. Off-road driving is also illegal in Iceland. Both residents and visitors have put themselves in danger by driving off road, not to mention the environmental harm and punitive repercussions of driving illegally on precarious soil.
Goals for foreign drivers
The road safety plan also seeks to decrease serious collisions involving travellers from abroad. “Foreign tourists in Iceland often find themselves in conditions that are alien to them and can therefore face trouble while driving,” the road safety plan reads. “In order to decrease the likelihood that they become involved in an accident, we need to inform them about the uniqueness of Icelandic traffic and Icelandic roads, while encouraging them to use seat belts, observe the legal speed limits, and follow other rules that are in place here.”
The plan also includes a segment on providing migrant motorists with information on Icelandic traffic rules, as they may differ from what applies in their home countries. Driving licences issued by member states of the European Economic Area, which includes the European Union, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Iceland, are recognised and valid in Iceland, even if the motorists have had no training or experience with the subarctic conditions with which new Icelandic drivers must familiarise themselves. The plan also notes that migrants who don’t speak Icelandic should be accommodated when it comes to educational and preventive material on traffic safety.
Public transport, private responsibility
Lastly, the slow but ongoing process of improving public transport in Iceland should gradually make roads safer by decreasing the number of cars on the roads. Borgarlínan, a Bus Rapid Transit system for the greater capital area, is in the works and is expected to decrease congestion on roads in the city as its population continues to grow, while having a positive environmental impact. Buses also service most rural areas and remain an economical option for travel outside the city limits.
The bottom line, however, is that most traffic accidents are caused by human error. Most of them take place in urban areas, but the more dangerous – and sometimes deadly – ones tend to happen in the countryside where speed limits are higher, trips are longer, and driver attention is more likely to waver. “It is therefore important,” the road safety plan states, “that our behaviour in traffic is in accordance with rules and in tune with conditions so everyone gets home safely.”
