At the start of 2020, police will begin fining people who park backwards on the road. This is only one of the many changes that will come about in the new year.
More new traffic laws will take effect at the start of the new year, including some changes to previous legislation. For example, all smart devices will be prohibited, whereas at this time only driving without a hands-free device is prohibited.
Police Chief Guðbrandur Sigurðsson welcomes these changes. “It is far too common for people to use smart devices. We see foreigners, tourists and others, but especially tourists, who are using their GPS a lot, but don’t have their eyes on the road,” he told Vísir.
There are also changes to what happens to people who are caught driving without a license in Iceland. With the new law, people can expect heavy fines and a potential ban on receiving their license for up to four months if they are caught driving illegally.
Police will also begin fining people who park on the wrong side of the road, which has been complicated and difficult to do until now. Police are excited about this new change in legislation, which will allow them to ticket people in much the same way they ticket people who don’t pay the parking meter.
Police are excited about this, as the matter poses a public safety risk. “A significant number of people have complained about cars that are parked backwards across the street, but there has been nothing we could do until this solution,” Guðbrandur said. The fine will be 10,000 ISK, and police will begin enforcing it at the start of the new year.
Make sure you park correctly if you party downtown on the 31st.
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