Traffic law and road traffic regulations (umferðarlög og reglugerðir)
What this domain tests
The legal frame around riding in Iceland: who may ride which machine, what documents and insurance are compulsory, and what you must do at the scene of a collision. The current act is umferðarlög nr. 77/2019. Above every individual rule sits the general care rule - a rider must show the utmost care (ýtrustu varúð) and must never cause avoidable danger or unnecessary obstruction. When no specific rule answers a question, the care rule does.
Licence categories
- AM - light motorcycle (létt bifhjól): max 50 cc, 4 kW, 45 km/h; from 16.
- A1 - up to 125 cc, 11 kW and 0.1 kW/kg; from 16.
- A2 - up to 35 kW; from 18.
- A - unrestricted; from 20 after at least two years on A2, or from 24 by direct access.
You must carry your licence while riding, and the machine must carry valid obligatory third-party insurance (lögboðin ábyrgðartrygging). Riding uninsured is an offence in itself, and it can leave you personally liable for damage you cause.
Duties at the scene
Stop after any collision you are involved in and give your name, identity number and insurance details. Call the police on 112 if anyone is hurt. Leaving the scene (yfirgefur vettvang) is a serious offence. You must also report a collision with an unattended vehicle or with an animal.
Worked example
A 17-year-old holds an A1 licence and rides a 125 cc machine with 11 kW. That is legal. A friend then offers him a 600 cc bike for the afternoon; riding it is illegal regardless of skill, because the category does not cover the machine - and the insurance will not respond in a crash.
Traps
Believing an A2 licence turns into an A licence automatically on your 20th birthday - you must apply and pass the A test. Believing that "I had priority" excuses a collision: the care rule still applies. Treating insurance and licence documents as formalities that are never checked.