Foreign travellers caused nearly a quarter of all traffic accidents which took place at or in roundabouts in Iceland in 2011-15. A study by the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration shows that foreign visitors are far more likely than locals to be involved in traffic accidents in roundabouts, and that they are unsure about how to drive in roundabouts in Iceland.
More than half of all accidents caused by foreign visitors
The study which covered 17 two lane roundabouts in the capital region revealed that out of the 457 traffic accidents during the period foreign travellers were involved in 102, or 22.4%.
During the same period foreign travellers were involved in 16% of other accidents. The proportion was even higher in some roundabouts located on major arteries many foreign travellers use. Foreign travellers were involved in 64% of all accidents at the roundabout on the junction of the ring road and the road to Þingvellir National Park.
Traffic code lacks clear rules on roundabouts
What seems to be the cause of most accidents is that foreign travellers are unfamiliar with the rules governing roundabouts in Iceland: In Iceland traffic in the inner lane always has priority over traffic in the outer lane. The authors of the study found that many foreign travellers were surprised to learn this rule, as it is not common in other countries.
However, this rule and others regarding roundabouts are not codified in law, the local newspaper Fréttablaðið reports, but rest on convention and tradition. The only mention of roundabouts in the traffic code has to do with parking: It is illegal to park a vehicle in or on a roundabout.
Foreign travellers caused nearly a quarter of all traffic accidents which took place at or in roundabouts in Iceland in 2011-15. A study by the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration shows that foreign visitors are far more likely than locals to be involved in traffic accidents in roundabouts, and that they are unsure about how to drive in roundabouts in Iceland.
More than half of all accidents caused by foreign visitors
The study which covered 17 two lane roundabouts in the capital region revealed that out of the 457 traffic accidents during the period foreign travellers were involved in 102, or 22.4%.
During the same period foreign travellers were involved in 16% of other accidents. The proportion was even higher in some roundabouts located on major arteries many foreign travellers use. Foreign travellers were involved in 64% of all accidents at the roundabout on the junction of the ring road and the road to Þingvellir National Park.
Traffic code lacks clear rules on roundabouts
What seems to be the cause of most accidents is that foreign travellers are unfamiliar with the rules governing roundabouts in Iceland: In Iceland traffic in the inner lane always has priority over traffic in the outer lane. The authors of the study found that many foreign travellers were surprised to learn this rule, as it is not common in other countries.
However, this rule and others regarding roundabouts are not codified in law, the local newspaper Fréttablaðið reports, but rest on convention and tradition. The only mention of roundabouts in the traffic code has to do with parking: It is illegal to park a vehicle in or on a roundabout.
