Warns against reckless driving
mbl.is/Hanna Andrésdóttir
Every year, the first weekend of August sees Reykjavík empty out for festivals and other festivities around the country. Accordingly, it is usually the most traffic-heavy weekend of the year and accidents are common.
Guðbrandur Sigurðsson of the Metropolitan Police says things are off to an early start this year with many leaving town as early as Tuesday. He still expects traffic out of Reykjavík to be heavy today and says that police will be monitoring speed, seatbelt and cellphone usage along with levels of intoxication. He also warns of the dangers of overtaking vehicles recklessly.
“That is something we fear when there is a line of cars and people get impatient. In a line of vehicles traffic is often at or under the speed limit and a few want to go faster but create a great danger for themselves and others,” he says. “We ask people to be calm. People are mostly on vacation or taking trips so there is no hurry.”
He also says the police asks slower drivers to use rest stops by the road to let others pass.
