Tourists frequently in car trouble in winter
Sleet, ice, snow and bad visibility can pose dangers, especially for those inexperienced at driving in these conditions. mbl.is/Rax
When the roads are as bad as they've been this last month in Iceland, covered in snow and ice, many tourists renting cars get into trouble. Guide Páll Jónsson who helped four young Australian travellers yesterday to get back onto the road worries about tourists who are not used to driving in these conditions. Jónsson says that they cause danger both to themselves and others.
The car of the four Australians had ended up on the side of the road near Gullfoss, south Iceland. He helped them get the car back on the road, only to find them moments later, again having driven off the road. Roads yesterday were covered in water-logged snow, conditions that may be familiar to Icelandic drivers but were a first for the young travellers.
"Fortunately the incidents were not serious," he adds. "I'm not sure what the solution is, but if we're marketing Iceland as a place to visit during winter and therefore having incidents happen such as a Yaris getting stuck in a snowstorm on an unpassable highland road in winter, having to be rescued by search and rescue parties. "
