Sniff Glue, Dodge Jail, Try Not To Die

A rookie’s guide to driving around Iceland

The introduction of the automobile changed Iceland forever: from a near-untraversable wilderness into a land of asphalt terror. There are no trains, barely any buses, and almost no cycle lanes. So if you want to truly explore this country, you really, really need a car.

I have been coming to Iceland for over 13 years, but one thing that’s hampered my ability to explore this country was the lack of a driving licence. I’ve hitchhiked, taken buses, walked, and flown around Iceland, but this summer, I finally had the opportunity to take my first road trip.

While I had a fantastic time, I learned that driving here isn’t as easy as in other countries. It can be fraught with wonder, danger, despair, and a lot of gas station hot dogs. Here’s my top tips for enjoying the open road.

Sniff some glue

In Iceland, the journey is much bigger than the destination. There comes a certain point on any road trip where you’ve seen enough waterfalls and volcanoes for a lifetime, when landmarks are subsumed by the route you take. The route you take is the glue that binds these stops together. You must sniff this glue.

That is to say, don’t rush. Say you’ve stopped off in Laugarbakki in the northwest for a bathroom break, but your sights are set on one of Akureyri’s famously demented hot dogs. Google Maps is going to try to send you on a beeline along Route 1 straight into the city centre, and while that means faster hot dogs, it also means missing out on an adventure. You know when Google Maps offers you the fastest route — the one you always take? Don’t take it. It will feel alien, but it’s a good rule of thumb to select the route that says something like ‘26 minutes slower’, or ‘1 hour 20 minutes slower’, or even ‘two days slower’.

This slower route will invariably lead you on some batshit wild goose chase along a fjord, or a mountain pass, or through tiny remote settlements that lead you towards truly sublime experiences. You might end up being the only person for miles. You might not even be driving on tarmac for most of it. But it’s on these journeys where you can truly become a flâneur of the asphalt, if such a thing is possible. It’s in these places, where the waterfalls rush past you on the raw edges of the island, that you might begin to feel something a little bit like healing — like you could keep going, forever.

Avoid jail

As joyful as it can be to tear around Iceland in a car, there’s one somewhat tragic fact about driving in Iceland: it’s way, way too slow. The speed limit in Iceland is much stricter than some of its neighbours: 30-50 km/hour in populated areas (31mph), 80 km/hour on gravel roads (50mph), and 90 km/hour (56mph) on paved roads. If you’re used to speed limits of 70mph+, this can feel tantamount to driving through syrup. It seems somewhat criminal to make people drive so slowly on such immaculately paved roads in such sublime settings — sometimes you just want to let it rip.
“In the UK, the maximum drink driving limit is 0.8 percent BAC; in Iceland, it’s 0.049 percent.”

However, the roads in Iceland are dangerous, and yes, traffic accidents are one of the biggest killers, particularly of tourists. The speed limits are there to protect us, there’s no such thing as fun unless it’s safe fun, yada, yada, yada. But if you do, for whatever reason, find yourself accidentally slipping above the speed limit, it’s worth remembering that the penalties for doing so are much stricter than in other countries. To illustrate: if you go 26km/h or over the limit in 30-35km zones, you could be fined up to 23.544 ISK; if you go 41km over in an 80-90km zone, the fine increases up to a whopping 83.310 ISK.

Similarly, drink driving is taken extremely seriously in Iceland. Driving under the influence is obviously not advisable anywhere in the world, but in some countries, it’s possible to drive after a small beer or two with lunch and still be safely under the blood alcohol limit. For example, in the UK, the maximum drink driving limit is 0.8 percent BAC; in Iceland, it’s 0.049 percent. That means if you get pulled over and breathalysed the morning after a night out, you could still fall foul of the rules. The consequences can include the confiscation of your driving licence, a 160.000 ISK fine, and even prison.

It’s also worth remembering that rural policemen in Iceland often have a lot of spare time on their hands, and are known to set up hidden speed traps or breathalyser checkpoints along the main roads. So, you know. Don’t go to jail.

Try not to die

If you’ve so far avoided speeding tickets, DUIs, and breakdowns, there’s one more thing you have to look out for when driving in Iceland: the big D — Death. Death is no fun for anyone: not for you, not for your family, and not for the poor soul who has to scrape you off the side of the road.

While traffic is rarely an issue out in the countryside, Iceland’s rural roads pose all sorts of novel threats to us fleshy human sacks. Grazing animals, usually sheep, can jump or run in front of your vehicle at any time; so when you see signs warning you of this, make sure to exercise caution. You must avoid death not only for yourself, but also for the very cute tiny critters to which we owe so much.

Then, there’s slightly scarier conditions that could lead to your untimely demise: single-lane roads, roads that flood, roads that crumble, roads where you’re blinded by fog, roads where giant rocks fall onto your car, roads that get flooded with lava, roads that suddenly disappear, and, of course, roads where there are no bathrooms, causing your bladder to explode.

There is one answer to all of these issues, and that’s to take it easy and be ready for anything. Like I said, no rushing. Turn your headlights on and listen to the eclectic DJs of RÚV. They usually play Dolly Parton and Basement Jaxx and the like, so just listen to them. Try not to panic. Try not to piss yourself. Try not to die.