1ICELAND
Iceland recorded six road fatalities in 2019, one of its lowest tolls. Its road mortality in2019 was the lowest among IRTAD countries, with 1.7 road deaths per 100 000
inhabitants.

Impact of Covid-19
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Iceland introduced some restrictions on 13 March
2020, which affected the movement of people on the road and in turn the exposure to roadcrashes. Road traffic decreased 32% in April 2020 when compared to the average for 201719, while the number of people killed and seriously injured decreased 13%.
Table 1. Road fatalities and serious injuries by month
Average 2017-2019

2020% changeJanuary

16160.0

February1410-28.6

March124-66.7

April

87-12.5

May2011-45.0

June2019-23.8

July21

16-23.8

August2324

4.3

September

1516

6.7

October

1211-8.3

Table 2. Change in vehicle traffic by month% change in 2020 compared with the average for2017-19January-1.4

February

9.8

March-23.2

April-32.2

May-5.3

June-5.0

July-1.7

August-10.6

September-15.5

October-20.5

November-18.2

December-7.7

Note: Data are based on 16 key traffic counters around the country.

2Trends
Iceland registered an important
decrease in the number of roaddeaths in 2019. Six persons lost their lives in traffic crashes in Iceland in 2019 – 12 less fatalities than in 
2018. The figure for 2018 was 
particularly high, with 18 road deaths.

Country Profile
Population in 2019: 357 000
GDP per capita in 2019: USD 67 755 US
Cost of road crashes: 1.3% of GDP (2019)
Registered motor vehicles in 2019: 342 000(cars 79%; good vehicles 12%, motorcycles 4%,buses 1%)

The longer-term trend for road  Volume of traffic : +73% between 2000 and2019
deaths in Iceland is one of less and Speed limits: 50 km/h on urban roads; 90 km/h
less fatalities. There are, however,on rural roads with paved surfaces; 80 km/h on
important yearly fluctuations due torural roads with gravel
the low absolute numbers. For  Limits on Blood Alcohol Content (BAC): 0.5 g/lexample, the number of annual road
fatalities fell 81% from 32 to six between 2000 and 2019.
The number of traffic deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in Iceland fell 85% between
2000 and 2019. In 2019, 1.7 road deaths per 100 000 inhabitants were recorded,compared to 11.5 in 2000. This is the lowest rate among IRTAD countries. By way ofcomparison, the average in the European Union (EU) was 5.1 deaths per 100 000
inhabitants in 2019.
Measured as traffic deaths per billion vehicle-kilometres (vkm) driven, the road safety
risk of Iceland reached 1.5 in 2019, compared to 13.8 in 2000.
Iceland recorded 0.2 road fatalities per 10 000 registered vehicles in 2019.
Figure 1. Road safety, vehicle stock, traffic and GDP trends
Index 2000 = 1003

In terms of the road deaths according to road users in 2019, of the six killed threewere car occupants, one a motorcyclist, one a pedestrian and one a driver of a maintenancevehicle. Car occupants represent two third of the road deaths from 2015-19.
Figure 2. Road fatalities by road user group, average 2015-19

Four of the fatalities in 2019 were in the 25-64 age group, one in the 15-17 age group andone over 75.
Analysis of data by road type shows that the large majority of injury crashes occur onroads inside urban areas. A total of 60% of injury crashes occurred on urban roads from2015-19. The most severe crashes do, however, happen on the rural network. Of the74 road deaths from 2015-19, 57 (77%) were killed on roads outside urban areas.
Many traffic crashes occur along Iceland’s ring road (Route 1), which connects many of themost populated areas of the country. The route traverses many sparsely populated areasand can be subject to poor weather conditions, including snow, frigid temperatures, highwinds and rain. In addition, single lane bridges constructed of wood or steel, blind curves,and gravel road surfaces in some areas can pose additional hazardous conditions fortravellers.

4

Figure 3. Injury crashes by road type
1 400

Inside urban areas

Rural roads

1 200
1 000
800600400
20002000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Figure 4. Road fatalities by road type35

Inside urban areas

Rural roads

30
25201510502000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Economic costs of crashes
A 2014 report (Sigthorsson and Hilmarsson, 2014) on the economic costs of traffic crashes
in Iceland reviewed the history of cost estimation of traffic crashes and presented anoverview of methodologies used in other countries.
Based on this report, it was estimated that road crash costs amounted to EUR 254 million,
or 2% of Iceland’s GDP, in 2019.

5

Table 3. Costs of road crashes, 2019
Unit cost [EUR]

Total [EUR]

Injury or fatal crashes≈ 280 000

215 600 000

Property damage only crashes≈ 10 000

58 490 000

Total

274 090 000

Total as % of GDP (constant prices)

1.3%

Behaviour
The behaviour of road users is an important determinant of a country’s road safety
performance. Inappropriate speed has been a major problem on Icelandic roads.
However, from 2004 Iceland recorded a positive trend, with a decrease and thenstabilisation in the mean speed. The average free flow speed on the ring road during
summertime was 0.6 km/h lower in 2019 than in 2018 (Vegagerdin, 2020). Iceland has
increased enforcement with both traditional and automatic speed controls, but budgets
have limited the ability to increase the number of automatic speed cameras more rapidly.
Table 4. Passenger car speed limits by road type, 2020
Road Type

Speed Limits

Urban Areas

50 km/h
90 km/h (paved)

Rural Roads

80 km/h (gravel)

The maximum authorised BAC is 0.5 g/l. The new traffic law, which took effect on 1 January
2020, stipulates that a driver is not able to control a vehicle in a safe way with a BAC of
0.2 g/l or above. Despite this, the maximum authorised BAC was not changed.
0n average 11% of those killed and 7% of those seriously injured from 2015-19 wereinvolved in road crashes where one of the drivers had a BAC above the limit or had taken
drugs. While drink-driving has declined steadily over the last decade, driving under the
influence of drugs has risen.
Television commercials are broadcast almost every year to combat drink-driving. The
police also occasionally receive special funding to enforce drink-driving laws.
Traffic regulations in Iceland prohibit driving under the influence of drugs. The
penalties are the suspension of the driving licence for 3 to 24 months for a first offence
and 2 to 5 years for a repeated offence.
During the 2015-19 period, 6.0% of fatal crashes and 3.5% of crashes with people
seriously injured involved a driver under the influence of drugs. There were no fatal
crashes involving drivers under the influence of drugs from 2018-20. However, there were613 serious crashes (8.3% of all serious crashes) in 2018 that involved driving under theinfluence of drugs.
According to the law, it is illegal to drive with a hand-held mobile phone. The use ofhands-free devices is authorised.
From 2015-19 about 2.6% of fatal and injury crashes involved a driver who was drowsy or
almost falling asleep while driving.
In Iceland, it is compulsory to wear seat belts in both front and rear seats. Dedicatedchild restraint use is compulsory for children under 135 cm. A survey on child restraint use
is conducted every year at preschool establishments. The child seat usage rate forpreschool children (three to six years old) has gone up from 21% to 95% since 1985.
From 2015-19 an average of 45% of car occupants killed were not wearing a seat belt.
Table 5. Seat belt wearing rate by car occupancy and road type
2010

2015

2018

2019

Driver

86

..

..

90

Passenger

88

85

..

93

Urban roads (driver)

77

78

87

89

Rural roads (driver)

95

94

95

92

General

73

69

84

86

Child restraint

..

..

..

95

Front seats

Rear seats

Helmet wearing is mandatory for all powered two-wheelers and is compulsory for cyclists
under 16. Helmet wearing rates for motorcyclists are 100% on rural roads and 83% onurban roads.

Road safety management and strategiesThere are several factors of influence on Iceland’s road safety performance as
captured by the above indicators. Iceland has seen consistent improvement in its roadsafety record over recent years. However, there were many road deaths from 2015-18 duein part to a greater number of foreign tourists driving rental cars. Improving road safety
for foreign tourists has become a priority in Iceland.
The current transport plan promotes the use of alternatives to cars, such as public
transport, cycling and walking. In recent years, Iceland has improved the infrastructure
for cyclists in its capital Reykjavik and has provided special lanes for buses.
An important feature of the Icelandic road network is that no year-round connections areavailable across the country. The connections across the highland interior are only open

7

during the short Arctic summer and are primarily used for tourism and recreational
purposes. Most of these roads are only suited for off-road vehicles (RHA, 2012).
Responsibility for the organisation of road safety in Iceland lies with threeorganisations under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and local government. The
Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (Vegagerðin – IRCA) handles the infrastructure
and the actual road improvements. The Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa) isresponsible for educating the public, and the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police
monitors speed and alcohol and drug abuse.
In June 2020, the Icelandic parliament agreed on the third multi-modal transportation plan,covering the period 2020-34. It sets the target of having the number of traffic fatalities
per 100 000 inhabitants equivalent to the rate of the five European countries with the best
traffic safety records by 2034. It also aims to lower the number of killed and seriously
injured by 5% per year until 2034.
The target-setting process for the first indicator seeks to put Iceland’s road safety record
on par with countries with which it regularly benchmarks in other sectors. The second
target was selected because it is believed to be achievable with current strategies and theavailable funding. This is equivalent to a 58% decrease over the 15-year period of thestrategy. The baseline for the second target is the average per year for 2013-17(201 persons killed or seriously injured).
To assist in achieving this target, eleven sub-targets have been set to guide the strategy
and monitor progress. These sub-targets include: a 5% yearly decrease in fatal and serious
crashes involving young drivers aged 17-20, the elimination of fatalities due to lack of seatbelt wearing, a 5% decrease in killed or seriously injured tourists per 100 000 tourists anda 5% yearly decrease in killed or seriously injured pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Performance indicators related to speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,
seat belt use and the usage of phones or other electronic devices while driving have been
introduced.
Crash data are monitored monthly, and this short-term analysis influences decisions onsafety measures. Annual reviews focus in particular on the sub-targets.
Table 6. Trends in road fatalities towards national targets

Base year

Target year

Base year figure

Current results(2019 figure)

Comparable to the five best
performing European countries

Average 2013-172034

4.2

1.7-5% per year (less than 84 in2034)

Average 2013-172034

201188TypeTargets

Fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants
Killed and seriously injured

8Measures
Infrastructure: Following a fatal crash in 2018 at a single lane bridge in which threepeople were killed, it was decided to reduce the maximum speed limit to 50 km/h on all
single lane bridges on roads with annual average daily traffic of more than 300 vehicles
per day. Some changes in signs and signage were also introduced at these bridges, as wellas the installation of flashing warning lights. In addition, new two-lane bridges will replacesome of the single lane bridges in the near future.
Because the majority of crashes in rural areas are run-off-road crashes, there areimportant projects to improve roads and roadsides to make less dangerous. These include
measures such as making the road embankment less steep, filling ditches or moving themfurther from the roadway and installing safety barriers.
Large projects on the separation of driving directions have recently been finished. Others
are underway or planned in the near future.
New roundabouts have been built or are being built at intersections with bad crash records.
New bicycle paths that are at least partially funded by the state must be subject to a roadsafety audit.
Road users: Icelandic road safety authorities have launched a campaign entitled Drivingwith Elfis to educate foreign drivers on the dangers of Icelandic roads.
Various campaigns are being conducted on topics like mobile phone usage when driving,speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and fatigue.
Road safety education is proposed at all school levels.
There is a dedicated information programme informing foreign drivers of the specificitiesof driving in Iceland, including sheep on the road, gravel roads, narrow bridges, etc. Road
safety information is attached to the steering wheel of rental cars, highlighting thespecificities of driving in wintertime and summertime.
Section speed control has been in a preparation phase since 2017. The equipment hasbeen installed on two road sections.

Definition, methodology, data collection
A road fatality is defined as a person who dies immediately or within 30 days of a crash.
A seriously injured person is someone who suffers fractures, a concussion, internal lesions,crushing, severe cuts and laceration, severe general shock requiring medical treatment
and any other serious lesions entailing hospitalisation.

9Iceland is working towards using the Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS) of 3+ todefine a serious injury. A central accident database with a MAIS score for each accident,
including non-traffic ones, is being developed for the healthcare system.
Crash data is based on police reports. Reports are made by police on site and sent to theIcelandic Transport Authority. Information on the cause and type of crash is recorded,along with detailed information on location, vehicles and other factors.
All fatal crashes are recorded in the database. An in depth study is undertaken for eachone. By law, every crash with injured individuals must be reported to the police andrecorded in the database. In practice, some crash data on injuries are not reported andothers may be misreported.
Crash forms have been transferred electronically since 1999, which has led to a muchbetter reporting rate. Comparing recent crash data on injuries with that from years before
2000 is not recommended.
The Icelandic Transportation Safety Board studies all fatal crashes.

Resources
Recent research
Halldorsdottir K. (2018), An in-depth study of collisions between cars and bicycles atintersections,
http://www.vegagerdin.is/vefur2.nsf/Files/nakvaem_greining_arekstra_bill_reidhjol_gatnamot/$file/N%C3%A1kv%C3%A6m%20greining%20%C3%A1rekstra%20bifrei%C3%B0a%20og%20rei%C3%B0hj%C3%B3la%20vi%C3%B0%20gatnam%C3%B3t.pdf.
Websites
Safe Travel: https://safetravel.is/.
Icelandic Transport Authority: https://www.samgongustofa.is/.
Iceland Road and Coastal Administration: http://www.vegagerdin.is/.
Icelandic Transportation Safety Board: http://www.rnsa.is/.

References
RHA (2012), Icelandic Road Infrastructure and Policymaking, RHA – University of Akureyri
Research Centre,
https://www.rha.is/static/files/Rannsoknir/2012/R12038SAMTrans_tourism-skyrsla_RHAfinal.pdf.

10Sigthorsson, H. and V. Hilmarsson (2014), Kostnadur umferdarslysa, A research project
for the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration,
http://www.vegagerdin.is/Vefur2.nsf/Files/Kostnadur_umferdarslysa/$file/Kostna%C3%B
0ur%20umfer%C3%B0arslysa.pdf.
Vegagerdin (2020), Ökuhraði á þjóðvegum 2004-2019 (Driving speeds on highways 20042019), Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, www.vegagerdin.is.

Road safety and traffic data
1990

2000

2010

2017

2018

2019

2018

2019 % change over2010
2000
1990

Reported safety data
Fatalities

24

32

8

16

18

6

-66.7%-25.0%-81.3%

Injury crashes

564

999

883

952

868

770

-11.3%-12.8%-22.9%

36.5%

Deaths per 100,000 population

9.5

11.5

2.5

4.7

5.2

1.7

-67.5%-33.3%-85.3%-82.2%

..

1.8

0.3

0.5

0.5

0.2

-67.2%-43.0%-90.5%

..

14.9

13.8

2.54.14.5

1.5-66.6%-40.6%-89.1%-89.9%

Pedestrians

61200

1

Cyclists

000

200

Moped riders

00000

0

Motorcyclists

311

10

1

Passenger car occupants

1525

4912

3

Other road users

05

14

6

1

0-14 years

300

2

10

15-17 years

2

5000

1

18-20 years

44

2

100

21-24 years

311

2

40

25-64 years

9133

810

4

65-74 years

..

..

0120

≥ 75 years

..

..

22

1

1Deaths per 10,000 registeredvehicles
Deaths per billion vehicle
kilometres
Fatalities by road user

-75.0%

figures too small for meaningfulcomparisons

Fatalities by age groupfigures too small for meaningfulcomparisons

Fatalities by road type
Urban roads

107

47

20

Outside urban areas

1425

4

9

166..

173

260

324

337

342

1.5%

31.5%

97.7%

..

1 612

2 316

3 168

3 938

4 008

3 998

-0.2%

26.2%

72.6%

148.0%

620.0

818.6

957.6

967.1

958.0

-0.9%

17.0%

54.5%

..

Traffic data
Registered vehicles(thousands)
Vehicle kilometres (millions)Registered vehicles per 1,000..
population

11

figures too small for meaningfulcomparisons