Traffic fatalities surge in Iceland as twelve lives lost so far this year

This year has seen a significant rise in traffic fatalities in Iceland, with twelve lives lost so far, marking the highest death toll in seven years. The increase comes after years of relatively stable figures, as the death toll had not exceeded nine since 2018. Ástrós Signýjardóttir, the director of the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (Vegagerðin), describes the situation as a severe blow and indicates the need to reassess the country’s infrastructure.

The fatalities this year have occurred in various locations across the country. In January alone, seven people died in five separate incidents. In response to this troubling trend, the Traffic Safety Council will convene this autumn to explore the broader context of these accidents and the contributing factors. The council, appointed by the Minister of Transportation, is tasked with advancing the national traffic safety program.

The surge in traffic is primarily attributed to a rapid increase in the number of tourists visiting Iceland. Bergþóra highlights the issues facing infrastructure financing, stating that the current investments are inadequate to keep pace with the growing traffic demands.

Improvement efforts are underway for providing better informational signage for tourists, which includes bilingual road signs in English and Icelandic. A revised transportation plan expected to be presented to Parliament in the coming weeks proposes a substantial increase of 7 billion ISK for the maintenance and upgrade of roads. Bergþóra emphasizes the challenges posed by the extensive and varied condition of the transport network, stating that many roads are outdated and not equipped to handle the influx of visitors accustomed to urban driving conditions.