Iceland is considered the safest and most peaceful country in the world according to the Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that visitors to the country need to keep in mind when traveling around the country. Unfortunately, there are mistakes made by tourists each year that range from almost causing accidents to ones that end in fatalities.
This episode is in no way meant to scare anyone who plans to rent a car here regardless of the season. In fact, I highly recommend renting a car. It’s an amazing way to see the country at your own pace and to potentially discover places that you might have missed if you were on a bus tour.
I have partnered with Go Car Rental Iceland on this episode. We both value informing people about these mistakes so they can not only manage their expectations but also know what to look out for when on the road.
If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, you can use my code Iceland10 when booking with Go Car Rental Iceland. You’ll save 10% on your entire booking. They are a local Icelandic rental car company based in Reykjavík that have excellent customer service, great rates, unlimited miles on their cars, and a large variety of vehicles to choose from.
The Ultimate Guide to Renting a Car in Iceland
7 Dangerous Mistakes Tourists Make While Driving in Iceland
1. Stopping in the middle of the road to take photos
One of the most dangerous mistakes that many tourists make during the summer in Iceland is stopping in the middle of the road to take photos. I know it sounds ridiculous to some people, but it happens a lot here.
It’s often the case that people are not meaning to block the road but they get so stunned by the views that they legit stop their car to have a look. It can be that they’re staring at horses, mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, reindeer or even an arctic fox.
Instead of immediately looking for a safe place to pull over, they just sit in the middle of a highway. Even worse they often get out of the car with their car still on the road. This has resulted in some accidents and far too many close calls. I totally understand seeing an amazing sight and wanting to stop to see it.
I also understand that when you stop, it could be that no one is behind you at the time. However, if you are on a highway the possibility that another car or truck will come soon is highly likely. Please do yourself and everyone else a favor and find a safe place to pull over. You might even have to drive a little bit down the road to find an appropriate spot but it’s worth it.
2. Driving Off-road
Next up is driving off-road. This is not the same as pulling over to the side of the road or driving on a gravel road or driving on an F-road in the highlands. I am specifically talking about driving on land where there are no roads. Some places where tourists have done this is on black sand deserts and fields of lava rock covered in moss.
There are two reasons doing this is dangerous. The first is that the flora in Iceland is fragile. Yes, it grows in an extreme climate but it takes a very long time for things to grow naturally here. There are ecosystems flourishing in these environments that most people are not aware of and driving on them can cause serious damage. In fact, moss in Iceland takes decades to grow back after it has been trampled or driven on.
The second reason is that you might drive over a hidden rock or hole that causes you to have an accident. This could result in you or others in the car being seriously injured.
On top of that, if a person is caught driving off road the fine can be more than $1,000! Honestly, it is just not worth it.
3. Speeding
Due to the speed limits being quite low in Iceland, max 90 kmph or about 56 miles per hour, it’s easy to find yourself going much faster on the flat roads out in the countryside. However, there are conditions here that make going too fast quite dangerous. One of them is speeding when the roads are icy. During winter, it’s common to drive on icy roads, especially the more north you go. I’ve encountered some roads in the north during December and January that were just a thick layer of ice.
I had on winter tires, which helped a lot with traction, but my knuckles were probably turning white from how tight I was holding the steering wheel. In that instance, I always refer to my mom’s advice, which is never drive your car faster than you can handle it. Yes, the speed max might be 90 but maybe you need to go 60 or 70 in those conditions because you feel more comfortable handling the car at those speeds.
I’ve found that some people feel pressure to drive the speed max, especially if someone is behind them. My advice is just let the person go ahead of you and continue at the pace you feel comfortable. Getting to your destination safely is the main goal.
4. Driving During a Storm
Next is driving during a storm. In late September/early October, we had one of the worst storms in recent history hit the north and east of Iceland. People were without power, buildings were destroyed, and vehicles were severely damaged.
The weather alert was yellow in many places and red in others. Some travelers still decided to travel on the roads, and they had a terrifying experience.
Windows of vehicles were broken in because the wind had picked up sand and rocks and thrust it at the cars. I even saw that some doors had been ripped off.
Luckily, there were no fatalities but psychological damage was intense. I don’t think it can be said enough that people need to heed the weather warnings here. I sometimes joke that the only natural predator here in the weather because it has caused a lot of accidents over the years.
5. Not opening the door carefully when getting out of the car and it is windy
Piggybacking off the last dangerous mistake, is not opening the door carefully when getting out of the car when it’s windy. Again, the wind is the main antagonist in this story. The main dangers here are causing severe damage to the car or to a person.
Most rental car companies warn you to hold on tightly to the doors when opening them but I don’t think they always mention these two other things. One is that if it’s very windy, you want to only open one door at a time because the wind can whip through the car causing a sort of wind tunnel that could not only rip the doors off but also make it hard to close the doors even if you have been holding on tight enough.
The other is that, when possible, try to park the car against the wind. Yes, it can make it harder to open the car door but at least it you are fighting to keep the door from being pulled away from you. When family has been visiting, I’ve literally had to get out of the car to help them open their door because the wind was pushing up against it. That is an extreme example, but such is life here.
6. Driving While Exhausted
#6 might feel like common sense to most but one of the tricky things about Iceland is that the driving times to the most popular sites is a lot farther than most people expect. For instance, it takes about 5-hours one way to drive to Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. I’ve driven to there and back to Reykjavik in a day and it was exhausting. Plus, there are other possible stops along the way that make the journey much longer.
When I advise people who are planning a trip to Iceland, I often suggest staying overnight in Vík or somewhere closeby because driving while exhausted is similarly dangrous as driving under the influence. If do feel yourself getting too tired to drive, please find a parking lot to stop in and take a nap. Because of 24-hour bright days in the summer, I find that people often push themselves to the limit physically, which ends up being dangerous for themselves and others on the road.
7. Not Knowing the Rules of two-lane roundabouts in Iceland
The last dangerous mistake for this episode is not knowing the rules of two-lane roundabouts in Iceland. In other parts of Europe, the outer lane has the right of way. In Iceland, it’s the exact opposite, which is confusing for many other Europeans and for those outside of Europe who know the same rule. If you haven’t driving in a roundabout before, the concept might feel daunting.
Thankfully, there are not a lot of roundabouts for you to worry about here but knowing that the inner lane has the right of way, meaning cars in the outer lane have to yield to the cars in the inner lane if they want to exit, is the rule here can save you from making a mistake that results in an accident.
Go Car Rental Iceland
Thanks again to Go Car Rental Iceland for partnering with me on this episode.
Shout out to a HNelsn for this review of the podcast
A wonderful down to earth podcast for potential and current travelers to Iceland! I went to Iceland 7 years ago and wish I’d had this podcast then. Jewells is so relatable and does a wonderful job of painting a picture. She also does her research! We are planning another trip to other parts of the country and her episode on Akuryri got me even more excited for our journey. Can’t wait to keep listening before and during our journey. Thank you, Jewells!
Random fact of the episode
It’s not unusual to experience wintery conditions outside of the normal winter months in Iceland. During May of last year, I did a two week trip around the country and encountered icy roads, snow, rain, lots of wind, dry days, and so on. It was a mix of all the seasons, so just keep that in mind.
Icelandic word of the episode
að keyra – to drive
