Traffic law and the Icelandic Road Traffic Act (umferðarlög)
What the exam tests
This domain covers the legal backbone: umferðarlög (the Road Traffic Act), the obligations that come with holding a licence, and the consequences of breaking the rules. Questions often describe a situation and ask what the law requires, not what is polite.
Core rules
- A driving licence must match the vehicle category; carry it when driving and produce it on request.
- Every motor vehicle in traffic must have valid third-party insurance (lögboðin ábyrgðartrygging).
- After any accident involving injury or significant damage, stop, secure the scene, help the injured and call 112. Give name, address, licence and insurance details to others involved.
- Report to the police without delay if anyone is injured, if a third party's property is damaged and the owner is absent, or if an animal is injured.
- Hit-and-run (flótti af vettvangi) is a serious offence and can lead to imprisonment and loss of licence.
- Police may require a breath, blood or urine sample; refusal is itself punishable.
Worked example
You scrape a parked car in a Reykjavík car park and cannot find the owner. Leaving a note is not enough. The law requires you to report it to the police, who trace the owner and record the incident. The exam distractor "a note under the wiper is sufficient" is wrong.
Traps
Assuming a minor bump needs no report; forgetting that the duty to stop applies even when you are not at fault; confusing insurance duties with criminal reporting duties.