The Ministry of Transport is working on new laws which will facilitate collecting fines for driving infractions, especially from foreign tourists, RV reports. The Finns run a "day fine" system that is calculated on the basis of an offender's daily disposable income - generally their daily salary divided by two. Option 2: Wait to receive your ticket in the mail and pay the fine with no discount. Discounted to ISK 86000 if I pay on the spot which of course I did. The only concern the officer had was for me to pay the stupidly high 80,000. And I WILL! 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. A lot of car rental companies also charge a handling fee if you get a speeding ticket. Is the collection made after the ticket is issued, or is the offender given time to send in the money? They want(ed) me to pay 50650 ISK. 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! Here is a short list of of speeding fines in Iceland and how they increase with the offence: 20% will be added to this if: 1. What to Know About the Speed Limit in Iceland You may get your speeding ticket on the day or later. These fines make Iceland's at about $800 actually look cheap. Fines. In most areas outside of city limits, the speed limit is anywhere from 60 to 80 km/h for unpaved roads. Speeding ticket + speed cameras? : Iceland - reddit.com Speed limits in Iceland vary according to the type of road you are on, and if its urban or rural, so it is important you check signs when driving and keep within speed limits. One-lane bridges are indicated with a bright orange sign and a label of a car with a narrow bridge. Don't worry, it might sound more stressful than it really is. Went to iceland back in august, got pulled over at 2:59am for speeding. If the road you were caught speeding on was absent of signs notifying you of speed limits. The Icelandic road system is unique and drivers must be aware of both on-road and off-road conditions. As of February, foreign tourists owed over ISK 27 million ($255 000/216 000) in fines. I am not sure if this post goes in the sad or absurd file. So be safe by going the speed limit to prevent an accident, injury, or even death. To make your life easier, we have put together a summary of everything you need to know when it comes to Icelandic traffic laws. The second one is when a parking offence has been comitted. Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Sweden has a plan to end all traffic accident deaths, Technology could make traffic jams a thing of the past. The only problem is the roads look like this: and the speed limit is 90 km/h / 56 mph. Fines for speeding are high, ranging from 30.000 ISK to 150.000 ISK. Gurn also tells RV that the Police has noticed an increasing number of cars driving without license plates on the front. Ill keep it short and simple. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-8240339', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Iceland. Great way to tick off the tourists spending big in your country. Use the inside line if you plan to exit on the second, third, or fourth exist. It has proven particularly difficult to collect fines from Russian and Chinese motorists. I got in touch with the dutch police via their facebook page and decided to pay it before late fees started to accrue. 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. There seems to be no evidence that unpaid speeding tickets are visible to immigration officials in any country. The speed limit on the Highway 1 ring road is usually 90 km/h (56 mph). If you're wearing sunglasses then remove these before entering the tunnel. 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. They talked to someone and said well right down your email and phone and will be in touch. Photo from the Reykjavk Police Instagram Account. Driving 41km/h or faster over allowed top speed. Speed cameras in Iceland look like gray rectangles, with lenses on them. In the event of an accident every person (tourists included) are obliged by law to help and assist at the site of an accident - even if you are not directly involved. There have been few incidents in the past where people have hired rental cars, travelled, then returned home, and the weeks later they get a mail request to pay fines in Iceland. It being a foreign country we had no idea what to do. (70km zone), Driving 41km/h or faster over allowed top speed. Somebody would have to do the math of a higher compliance rate/lower fine structure vs. a higher fine rate/lower compliance, but I bet they'd get more payments at a lower cost. Understanding the speed limit is about as basic as knowing if to drive on the right side of the lane or the left. 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. What would a Marshall Plan for Ukraine look like? I guess we just can't win. For parking tickets left on the windshield, you can simply walk into any bank, wait your turn, and pay your ticket. This is because the country wants to increase safety and not have any accidents. We will be in touch. If the clock is missing or the parking exceeds the allowed time, one can expect a parking fee. There are varying opinions based on the speed fines in Iceland. Thx to the rental company for not giving us a heads up on a rediculous fee system. They can be found all along the ring road and they often wander, carelessly, onto the road, right in front of oncoming traffic. Apparently, all of Iceland has a max speed of 90kph - I had no idea. I would love to hear your story! Then there are the horrible "washboard" roads. If you receive the ticket after the discount has expired, you can always call and explain the situation to get an extension. You'll fine the answers here! There have been few incidents in the past where people have hired rental cars, travelled, returned home, and then weeks later received a letter to their home address with a request to pay fines in Iceland. I live inCentral Florida and with 47 million visitors a year, speeding and reckless driving is a major problem. I really don't feel sorry for the Czech man or the Italian lady. I know it's harsh but that's the way it works in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Traffic Ticket Fines & Penalties in Arizona | DMV.ORG 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. We simply dont have the necessary number of people Gurn tells RV. Use our "Jump to Chapter" if you want to get to some of the info quickly. Police have trouble read Cyrillic and non-Latin alphabets And thats after a 25% discount for paying the cop in his (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The floating crosswalk was thought up by town environmental commissioner Ralf Trylla. It is indeed a good idea to first understand the traffic law of any country you are visiting if you intend to drive around. The biggest challenge with tunnels is quickly adapting to the darkness when entering the tunnel and with the brightness when leaving. Your Guide to Driving in Iceland | adventures.com To avoid speeding fines in Iceland, it is essential to know the speed limits. Like nearly $500 for 11 km/h (6.7 mph) over on a road like that. If you were in a rental car, they will pass on your details to the authorities. I dont know why we arent broke already haha. News from Iceland, What to do and see, local travel tips and expertise. Funny, I just got pulled over today a bit after Vik. Just 80 percent of fines charged to foreign tourists . Driving in Iceland can indeed be an exhilarating experience. How do I pay my speeding fine in Iceland? There are many speed bumps in Iceland. Each and every rental service demands you sign a contract where you agree to adhere to the traffic law. You MUST bring the following to the class: Driver's license. The largest selection of Car Rentals in Iceland. Such as time and place and the number plate, the staff finds out who was renting the car at the time and is then by law, required to send this information back to the police. So if you planto return to Iceland one day and hope to drive, you definitely should pay the fine. Extreme DUI (BAC 0.15% or higher) First Offense: No less than $2,500. Oh no! I lived in Iceland for a while and got one for $500 :/ made sure to not speed again after that one!! Speeding fines in Iceland - Reykjavik Forum - Tripadvisor That is the question. This happens to my boyfriend almost every week ?? 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. The Icelandic road system is unique and drivers must be aware of both on-road and off-road conditions. Most likely when you receive your ticket in the mail from an Iceland speed camera,they offer a 25% discount if you pay within a certain amount of time. Get answers to your questions about Reykjavik, Taxi/Bus Costs from KEF Airport to Reykjavik. If you want to fight your traffic ticket, you must plead "not guilty" in an Arizona court. Copy of the complaint. How to avoid speeding tickets in Iceland - Nordic Car Rental Totally freaked me out, girl! USD 12.30) whereas larger transport vehicles and trucks are subject to an ISK 6,000 toll fee. The best way to avoid getting a speeding ticket in Iceland is always to drive safely and according to driving laws and posted signs along your route. Speeding fines in Iceland are very expensive. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Iceland! In those cases cameras understandably cannot record the license plate number of a speeding car. Just about everything now is considered "reckless driving". It is then important that people understand the risks they take when they drive there. Based on my research, it seems that if you dont ever plan on driving in Iceland again, you dont have to pay. I would be so freaked out being pulled over in a country where I didnt speak the language!! 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. I hope when you visit my blog you feel inspired and motivated to go out and explore this beautiful world we live in. I have this thing though where Im scared to do anything at all wrong in another country of this irrational fear theyll just kick me out haha which obviously wont happen If I did get a ticket Id for sure pay right away. Speed cameras are all over Iceland to catch drivers breaking the speed limit. The maximum speed on most paved roads outside of towns and villages in Iceland is 90 km/hr, which is 56 mph. Oh no! . Gurn says. That way you will probably get a 2-week period where the fine lowers by 30% or so. A study done by the University of Iceland found that there is an average of one speed bump every 20 meters in the country. Keeping to the right speed limit is very important as spontaneous dangers can present themselves on Iceland roads. in an hour. Iceland is totally a dream and should be at the top of everyones bucket list like yours! Does anyone know how the speeding fines are collected? 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. By law, the rental company must provide the police with your information. Scandinavian Travel Services ehf. Use the outside lane if you are exiting the roundabout on the first exit only. Do you take any authorization on my credit card? 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. Airport and border. Painful lesson learned as I was not aware the speeding fine was so eye wateringly steep in Iceland. Join our weekly hand curated newsletter to have all the latest news from Iceland sent to you. Theres also an insufficient number ofofficers. The main reason for high fines in Iceland is that us locals can be driving fiends, and often pay little attention to road conditions. IMHO your best bet is to send an e-mail to the address on the fines you got saying that you were just receiving the fines and if they would be willing to extend the discount-grace period. Don't worry, we won't spam you. There are police and speed cameras all over (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The more a driver is over the speed limit, the greater the number of fines they receive. However, driving in Iceland requires some more precautions compared to driving in other countries. That fee is 2500ISK (20USD). With insufficient resources police relies on people's good conscience. I noticed that in certain parts of the country there are 'camera' signs indicating that speed cameras are in effect. So do not assume that the countryside is not well covered with speed cameras. They have a brochurethat shows the maximum speed limits printed on the pages. Pl us, a lthough the roads might seem empty at times, common sense applies. There are a few roundabouts found around the country, many of them are when entering Reykjavik or other larger towns, like Akureyri. Sometimes, the speed limit can be even lowerwhen turning a sharp corner or driving along a steep mountain road. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum. Even in remote, rural parts of Iceland, you will find speed cameras. As a general guide the fine is usually between $195- $460 USD, however, if you are driving very fast, such as 41+km/h faster than legal top speed in 80-90km zones, then you may get fined $615-$690. Fines for driving too fast differs with the offence. 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. From Iceland Two Speeding Tickets In Twenty Minutes Less than half of foreign travellers pay their Icelandic speeding tickets Also, if you receive your ticket by mail, you might notice a new charge by your rental car company around 5000 ISK ($39 USD). While some tourists view it as very high, there are others who believe the fines are the same as every other country in Europe. So always keep your eyes open for a speed change. Fines for speeding are quite different from other offenses. Some rental car companies charge a handling fee for this. As a general guide the fine is usually between $195- $460 USD, however, if you are driving very fast, such as 41+km/h above the legal top speed (in 80-90km zones), then you may get fined $615-$690. The fees changed the last months. We are quite sure you likely have a few. How do I pay my speeding fine in Iceland? If you are pulled over, you could be issued with a ticket immediately but if you are caught on a speed camera then the fine will come in the mail - this could take a number of weeks. Apparently, its most difficult to collect fines from Russians or Chinesemotorists. Again this is all about your moral and ethical value to society. For example if you drive between 110-121 km you pay 80.000 isk and 60.000 isk with the 25% discount. When the plate belongs to a car rental the police must rely on information the traveler has given to the car rental in order to send the ticket to the offender. Thanks for this article! And dont forget, the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? If you get pulled over by the police, you have two options: Pay the fine upfront and receive a 25% discount off the fine. Subsequent cars should cross the bridge in a similar order as they arrived. Off-roading in Iceland is strictly forbidden. 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. This sign means there is a one-way tunnel system ahead. If you see an emergency vehicle approaching from behind, indicate to the side of the road if possible and allow them to pass. In this post, we collected all the information and costs of violating the law. Anyone caught driving at the speed of 111-120 km/h (68-75 mph) can expect a fine of ISK 50,000 (USD 816) and those caught driving at the speed of 141-150 km/h (88-94 mph) will have to pay ISK 130,000 (USD 2,121). Also, both officers were confused and initially said they dont know what other option I have. According topolice in Iceland, they manage to collect only 45% of those speeding tickets. A bus is driving faster over the legal limits, 2. Flugvellir 20 230 Keflavik. Im sure they committed fraud as they charged him well above the speed table provided on the internet . Thank you in advance It is known as a floating crosswalk! S o no stopping in the middle of the road for pictures! If you intend to drive in Iceland, its important you know the, However, driving in Iceland requires some more precautions compared to driving in other countries. Car rental companies are required by law to give the authorities your details if you receive a speeding ticket whilst driving their cars. If you were speeding consistently that is possible since the times line up. The cost of a speeding ticket varies according to many factors; such as the speed you are driving. It always sucks getting tickets, especially when its international. NOTE: In addition to paying these fines, expect to face jail time, community service, alcohol programs, ignition interlock systems, and/or license suspension or revocation. Speeding is a common offence that people visiting Iceland get fined for, and the fines are costly. iceland traffic fines - GO ICELAND Overall, not a terrible experience. They also warned me on the letters that they would make efforts to collect their money if I didnt pay. I have a ticket in Maine from 2003not paid. What do you do if you get a speeding ticket in Iceland? As a driver, before you jumped behind any vehicle to drive, its your responsibility to know the traffic laws of the country you are driving in. Hi there! Speed bumps are used to slow down cars. The floating crosswalk is not the usual method of tackling speeding in Iceland, but its definitely the most inventive! Im cu, I Istanbul On open roads the speed limit varies too; on gravel roads the speed limit is 80km/h, on asphalt roads the speed limit is 90km/h. more. There is a VERY strong financial disincentive to pay this ticket. We drove the ring road in 5 days, perhaps a bit too ambitiously. Speed limits in Iceland vary according to the type of road you are on, so it is important you check signs when driving and keep within speed limits. Tip: Automatic speed-surveillance cameras are notoriously inaccurate. If you intend to drive in Iceland, its important you know the Iceland speed limits. the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Which is $460. Fine $460. Learn more about the fines and penalties . The following signs also indicate the right of way: To make your life easier, we've put together a summary of everything you need to know when it comes to Icelandic traffic laws. Its definitely nerve-racking getting in trouble with the law, even if its something like a speeding ticket or up-to-date inspections haha. Watch Out For These New Speeding Ticket Scams - Forbes