Three times more people have died in fatal car accidents in 2015 than during last year. Only four people died in car crashes in 2014, compared to 13 fatal accidents so far in 2015. Ágúst Mogensen, at the Transport Accident Investigation Board tells the Icelandic Natonal Broadcasting Service that unusually many fatal accidents involved foreign motorists.
Ágúst tells RÚV that an important reason for the increase in the number of accidents is the growing number of foreign travellers. “In 2014 we saw unusually few fatal road accidents, which is good. But in 2015 we have been seeing a high number of fatal accidents involving foreign travellers and foreign drivers.” He points out that five foreign drivers were involved in fatal accidents this year, compared to none in 2013 and 2014.
He stresses that the authorities are working hard at eliminating particularly dangerous spots along the road system, specifically mentioning the South Iceland stretch of the ring road, where stretches of the road will be doubled and the two sides of the road seperated by a median. “This would eliminate these particularly hard head-on collisions which we are unfortunately seeing. We have emphasized the importance of seperating the traffic directions along these roads with the heaviest traffic.”
In the past ten years 136 people have died in traffic accidents in Iceland.
Three times more people have died in fatal car accidents in 2015 than during last year. Only four people died in car crashes in 2014, compared to 13 fatal accidents so far in 2015. Ágúst Mogensen, at the Transport Accident Investigation Board tells the Icelandic Natonal Broadcasting Service that unusually many fatal accidents involved foreign motorists.
Ágúst tells RÚV that an important reason for the increase in the number of accidents is the growing number of foreign travellers. “In 2014 we saw unusually few fatal road accidents, which is good. But in 2015 we have been seeing a high number of fatal accidents involving foreign travellers and foreign drivers.” He points out that five foreign drivers were involved in fatal accidents this year, compared to none in 2013 and 2014.
He stresses that the authorities are working hard at eliminating particularly dangerous spots along the road system, specifically mentioning the South Iceland stretch of the ring road, where stretches of the road will be doubled and the two sides of the road seperated by a median. “This would eliminate these particularly hard head-on collisions which we are unfortunately seeing. We have emphasized the importance of seperating the traffic directions along these roads with the heaviest traffic.”
In the past ten years 136 people have died in traffic accidents in Iceland.
