MP Suspicious Of Roadside Beer Sales On Festival Weekend

An MP for the Progressive Party considers it unwise to offer beer at select gas stations during the Merchant’s Holiday Festival.

RÚV reports that, for the Merchants’ Festival Holiday in the first weekend of August, the petrocompany Olís is planning on offering beer for sale at three gas stations located at points along the road from Reykjavík to Landeyjahöfn, the harbour where the ferry to and from the Westman Islands docks.

Elsa Lára Arnardóttir, an MP for the Progressive Party, believes the plan is poorly thought out.

“We have all too often seen news – amongst other times, during holiday festivals – of people being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol,” she told reporters. “I am quite afraid that it will be even easier to get alcohol along the national highway during this weekend.”

Elsa also happens to be one of parliament’s most ardent supporters of making drink driving laws stricter. Part of this would include lowering the threshold for what is legally considered driving under the influence from a BAC of 0.5% to 0.2%.