I know it's harsh but that's the way it works in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Just 80 percent of fines charged to foreign tourists . Also, please remember that the speed limit is only an indicator of the maximum speed and so if road conditions change (i.e. Alternatively, you may use. Our major roads are getting filled with little signs the authorities are putting up at the spot of fatalities, I recently counted 19 of these signs, all within ten minutes of my home. As of February, foreign tourists owed over ISK 27 million ($255 000/216 000) in fines. They in turn transferred it to the offender himself. Observing all traffic laws will save you lots of embarrassment from the Iceland authorities and also save you your hard earned dollars if you dont over-speed or parked at the wrong place. The authority of the judge to show lenience has been eliminated and you can expect to to fork over at least several thousand dollars and have have you license suspended for six months. Oh and thank you for this blog. I live inCentral Florida and with 47 million visitors a year, speeding and reckless driving is a major problem. With insufficient resources police relies on people's good conscience. 2023 by Reykjavk Cars Booking Office. The police vans have card readers so pay with either your Debit or Credit card. There are a lot of rules on the road, most of them are obvious; such as, in Iceland you drive on the right, overtake on the left, seat belts are mandatory for drivers and all passengers, headlights are also mandatory, dont drink and drive and dont go over the speed limit. On the lookout Police in Iceland have trouble tracking down and fining foreign speeders. The #2 is parking fines that are imposed on vehicles that are illegally parked that violate the traffic regulatory law.Here are the fees to expect when you break any of the parking laws in the country: These parking fines are also referred to as the `parking meter citation`. If its paid imediately upon receiving the fine, its 1400ISK (11USD). Around the country, you will find many one-lane bridges. Keflavik office Foreigners (tourists in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? I am planning on going to Iceland next year, so this is a very important thing to note! One individual who allegedly called theIcelandic police department spoke to a woman who saidnothing would happensince they are not a citizen of Iceland. I just got done for a 115kph in what happened to be a 90kph zone. 2015-2023 Northbound. Airport and border. I really don't feel sorry for the Czech man or the Italian lady. If you are planning to rent a car in Iceland and go on a self-drive tour, but are not too sure of the signs, here are some frequently asked questions on speeding fines in Iceland in case you got on the wrong side of the traffic law: If you are caught violating the speed limit Either: 1. These are bridges where only one car will fit at a time. Gurn Hauksdttir a police officer with the Police in Stykkishlmur in Western Iceland, where data from roadside cameras is processed, told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RV that one reason is that travelers frequently write their addresses in hand in their own alphabet, which can be difficult to decipher for police officers. The speed limit on the Highway 1 ring road is usually 90 km/h (56 mph). Paid a 500$ish tickets by a police cruiser that picked me up on radar. Paved roads, given how easy it is for tires to grip them in normal conditions, are known for being on the higher end with ranges from 60 to 90 km/h in many cases. By
The fines for speeding are absolutely ludicrous. The more a driver is over the speed limit, the greater the number of day fines they will receive. I was mostly concerned with the cameras. Scandinavian Travel Services ehf. Fines are automatically processed and delivered to the owner of the offending vehicle. Driving 41km/h or faster over allowed top speed . All of these rules are in place for the safety of citizens and tourists. If they cant providethat proof, you shouldnt have to pay. I just got back from Iceland and got pulled over between auristly and borgarnes. The only problem is the roads look like this: and the speed limit is 90 km/h / 56 mph. I decided to pay the ticket immediately using my credit card. Gurn says. As a general guide, the limits are 50km/h in urban areas and 30km/h on residential roads. I guess we just can't win. He never paid it and they tracked him down a year later. That way you will probably get a 2-week period where the fine lowers by 30% or so. Blikavellir, KEF International Airport (Iceland). Photo from the Reykjavk Police Instagram Account. It is rumored that some of these also work as speed cameras. A lot of car rental companies also charge a handling fee if you get a speeding ticket. Use the inside line if you plan to exit on the second, third, or fourth exist. By using the website you agree on our policy on cookies.Close, 30-50 km/h in residential and areas with a considerable population, 80 km/h on roads formed of gravel outside cities, If you get pulled over, these are your 3 options, pay later once you get the ticket in the mail with no discount, dont pay, dispute and face repercussions, If you get a ticket in the mail you have 2 options, pay (paying within a given time limit grants a discount), If significant details of the speeding alleged offence are incorrect, (ie your name, nature, time and location) you may be able to dispute the ticket, The driver who allegedly committed the speeding offence wasnt driving at the time, If the speed measuring instrument was incorrectly used or misused. Couple questions and concerns. Then the same procedure takes over as with parking offences in Reykjavik. This new breed of crosswalk appears to be floating up and off the road, which. If the clock is missing or the parking exceeds the allowed time, one can expect a parking fee. Always give way to indicating buses leaving a bus stop. Its just that the car rental company has your registered card information and you would have signed a document agreeing to comply with their fine requirement when you took the car. Also, both officers were confused and initially said they dont know what other option I have. . In Iceland, there are two types of parking violation charges: The #1 parking violation charge is a fine meant for vehicles that failed to park at the right designated parking areas or for drivers who stays longer than necessary at the parking area. Driving 26km/h or faster over allowed top speed. The maximum speed on most paved roads outside of towns and villages in Iceland is 90 km/hr, which is 56 mph. Vehicles pulling a trailer that is over 750kg (1,650 lb) and without brakes are not allowed to drive any faster than 90km/h (56 mph). However, rules and regulations may vary from one country to another, so it is important to know the rules so you can be safe and avoid fines when driving in Iceland. The answer to these speeding fines is only one!, Dont speed! We appeal to peoples good conscience when other means at our disposal fail. A vehicle over 3.5000 kg is driving over the legal limits. Boy was I royaly ripped off! Flugvellir 20 230 Keflavik. Pl us, a lthough the roads might seem empty at times, common sense applies. In Iceland, you drive on the right side of the road and overtake on the left. He escorted me inside the van where I was seated at a desk. And Im SO glad they let you off with a warning! a fine for speaking on mobile while driving is raised from 25.000 to 40.000 ISK (from about 250 USD to 400 USD). You can read about that here An Epic 7-Day Iceland Road Trip In March. These fines make Iceland's at about $800 actually look cheap. Fines. book flight now or wait until Efling Strike is over? If you are unable to avoid getting a fine, then it may be possible for you to dispute it. The minimum depth of tires needs to be 3mm. If you were a local (or European) you would be looking at 6 points on your license as well as the fine. There are a few roundabouts found around the country, many of them are when entering Reykjavik or other larger towns, like Akureyri. I didn't get stopped by a policeman, I was waved at to slow down at one point, but he never pulled me over. This from todays Daily News from Iceland: In the last two days, police in the vicinity of Blndus in Northern Iceland have fined 15 drivers for speeding, 13 of whom were foreign tourists. Are these used in Iceland? Funny, I just got pulled over today a bit after Vik. I was so nervous lol. Speeding in Iceland is controlled through two main measures; speed cameras and speed bumps. How do I pay my speeding fine in Iceland? I would love to hear your story! The hire company will have your credit card details and you will have agreed to pay fines when you took the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The cost of a speeding ticket varies according to many factors; such as the speed you are driving. Speeding fines in Iceland start at 30,000 ISK and can range up to 150,000 ISK or more. SSN: 680513-1550 / VAT: 114128
The general speed limits are as follows: 50 km/h or less in urban/residential areas; 80 km/h on gravel roads (we recommend slower speeds) Between April 15th - October 31st: Studded tires are prohibited and the, If you are in an accident or are on-site of an accident and individuals or animals, Emergency services (police, fire, and ambulance) Tel: 112, E.R Emergency Room Landsptali Hospital Tel:543-2000, Sjlfsbjrg (self-help) association for people with disabilities Tel:550-0300. The largest selection of Car Rentals in Iceland. I would like to think positively about it that perhaps this lesson actually helped saved my life by stopping me speeding . In both instances, your options are limited - see below. I would be so freaked out being pulled over in a country where I didnt speak the language!! .chakra .wef-facbof{display:inline;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-facbof{display:block;}}You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. Let the holiday travels commence! Here are some other reasons why you need to pay your speed fine: The cost of speeding damage on roads, traffic delays caused by accidents, medical costs or the SAR helicopters for rescue missions, etc. I had a friend who was ticketed in Germany! If you wait until after this deadline, youll have to pay the full amount. Parking and camping outside of designated camping zones in Iceland are illegal. Hopefully, it wasnt too difficult to figure out. From speeding 20 miles over the limit, to passing a stopped school bus, to failure to yield right of way, to having faulty brakes etc. But do you have to? The Icelandic police will trace the speeding car and if the car belongs to Go Iceland Car Rental, the main office gets an E-mail with the all the information of the offending car. How nice of them! Fine $300-390. In March 2018, I went on a 7-day road trip around Icelands Ring Road where I drove a total of 967.7 miles. Pedestrians crossing a zebra crossing, that has no lights, always have the right of way. Thats definitely the risk of not paying immediately. Samuel Hogarth
Use our "Jump to Chapter" if you want to get to some of the info quickly. I dont know why we arent broke already haha. And it was 60000kr. Image:REUTERS/Anton Vaganov. No matter the speed limit, there are plenty of signs that keep you updated. Driving in Iceland gives you immense freedom and can be great fun. I did not pay, and will never go back. If you ever got a parking ticket stuck under your windshield wiper, you know how annoying and frustrating that could be, especially when you thought you have your car parked at the right place. Haha I decided to write it because there really was no blog post or definite answer on whether or not one needed to pay the speeding ticket. WTF is this bs, two more speeding fines from the one that i received. What are my options and does this sound right? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-88001538', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Iceland and most of Europe. Where were you driving? A parking offence is when you park a car where its simply not allowed to park at any time like on a curb or streets where parking is never allowed. Say I was doing 95? As an aside, a guide at the Tourist information in Hofn suggested i take the OXI road to Egilstaddir to shave 60km off my trip. The second one is when a parking offence has been comitted. World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use. What do you do if you get a speeding ticket? If an accident occurs farmers in Iceland do appreciate if the local law enforcement are informed so they will be able to attend the wounded animal. Follow the roundabout on the outside line whilst indicating towards the inside lane until you've reached your exit, at this point indicate towards your exit. could easily be sourced from the fine - so it could be easier for the Iceland government to continue to provide excellent service to its people and visitors when such fines are paid. Both were amazing..:). I honestly think with the huge increase of tourism in Iceland, they will start tracking down on unpaid fines and tickets to foreigners. I paid the ticket (about $281) to the extremely friendly officer and went on my way. The above are only general speed limits, some areas may have different conditions so always make sure to check what the signs indicate. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-95594770', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');car as it was 20,000k more to go to the station to pay. I wish the fines were at least double what they are. Do I have to have international driving license? And thats after a 25% discount for paying the cop in his (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Motorist who are stopped without a license plate on the front of the car are stopped and made to move the back plate to the front. Each time you break the law you risk getting caught breaking the law and having to pay the price. Also, there are no roundabouts in the whole of Iceland with more than two lanes. and according to driving laws and posted signs along your route. Im sure they committed fraud as they charged him well above the speed table provided on the internet . It always sucks getting tickets, especially when its international. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-95594839', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Iceland a rip off for speeding fines! So do not assume that the countryside is not well covered with speed cameras. Most are just camera's and sometimes there's an officer doing the job with a lasergun. Copy of the complaint. The tourist driver ended up paying 150,000 ISK in total after his detected misdemeanor and paid both fines on the spot. Speeding is a common offence that people visiting Iceland get fined for, and the fines are costly. Also, many tks for info about how they control tickets in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The different speed limits in towns and out on the countryside are always well marked and needs to be followed. Isafjordur, a fishing town in northwest Iceland, has experimented with a new method of traffic safety and speed control. Well now I'm reading horror stories about the speed cameras in Iceland and the rental car companies charging people's card for a ton of money. Fines for driving too fast differs with the offence. All speeding fines are also updated and raised significantly. Even if you arent told you have a fine when you return your rental car, it does not mean you are in the clear. S o no stopping in the middle of the road for pictures! And dont forget, the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The fine in Iceland is a minimum of ISK 100,000 and penalties can even include time in prison. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. The standard toll for normal passenger vehicles is ISK 1,500, (approx. In certain cases, you may be able to dismiss the traffic ticket by completing a defensive driving course. There are new traffic signs to learn, different driving styles, avarietyof different road types and situations, speed limits and different laws. With insufficient numbers of officers, Police relies on peoplesconscience Speeding fines in Iceland are very expensive. Im Angie, an American photographer, travel blogger, and adventure seeker. Thanks for sharing your experience!! Icelandic roads are constructed differently to European and American ones - in rural areas they are surfaced with gravel so if you go around a bend too quickly you will have a serious accident. A car pulling any type of trailer is driving over the legal limits. Speed cameras in Iceland look like gray rectangles, with lenses on them. And not knowing the posted speedlimit isn't either Im guessing this was on the road between (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? If you get a speeding ticket in Iceland, you have a few options when it comes to paying. I hope everyone is keeping safe with the current happenings in our world. Being caught by a police officer doesn't mean you're off the hook for the rest of the speedtraps. In rural areas, gravel roads are 80km/h and paved roads 90km/h. One thing to consider when you are driving in Iceland is the weather factor. Im going to Iceland in November 2019, so will be extremely careful driving there. Please check the following requirements: Between November 1st - April 14th: Studded tires are allowed but not compulsory. Join our weekly hand curated newsletter to have all the latest news from Iceland sent to you. It was getting too easy to pay the relatively small fine for speeding and then take a three hour fun class to get the corresponding points removed from your record. Other speeding limits that are important to note: If you rent a car in Iceland then you won't have to worry about tires, as your rental company should have you covered with what you need. They believe that if you dont pay the fine, then dont return. A car pulling any type of trailer is driving over the legal limits. Most of them seemed to be unaware of the speed limits and found the amount they had to pay very upsetting, according to Hskuldur Erlingsson, duty officer in Blndus, in an interview with Morgunbladid. While some tourists view it as very high, there are others who believe the fines are the same as every other country in Europe. If a speed camera snaps a shot of you, the Icelandic police trace the car back to the proper rental car company. peppinoss77 - US$ 200 = in round figures ISK 20.000 so that doesn't compute for 3kph over the speed limit - try entering a limit of 30kph and you'll find the lowest fine is ISK 5.000 at 36kph. It is important to note that the automatic speed-surveillance cameras are not always correct; therefore, it would be wise to ask for proof before you pay your ticket. This is because the country wants to increase safety and not have any accidents. $720 AUD are you kidding me?! Keep your eyes peel at all times. There are differences inspeed limits in townsand the surrounding countryside and they are all well marked for drivers attention. Thanks for the blog.. Too bad I saw it 2 days too late i was caught in almost a similar fashion travelling at 128km per hour in a 90 km zone..by a police car coming in the opposite direction armed with a mobile speed detector..which I sid not see at all. Tunnels in Iceland are safe and the speed limit is sometimes lowered before driving through it.