Road agency considers removing rock after fatal Krýsuvíkurvegur crash

The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration is considering removing a rock beside Krýsuvíkurvegur road after a car crashed into it early Monday, killing three young people, mbl.is reports.

A motorcyclist died at exactly the same location in 2007. After that crash, the agency improved road markings, installed a recommended speed limit of 70 kilometres per hour and put up a sign warning of dangerous junctions ahead.

In a response to questions from mbl.is, the agency said the road surroundings had also been improved at the time by reshaping the roadside slopes. The rock was not removed, however, partly because lava is specially protected in many places.

The agency said it may need to take a more decisive approach to removing objects that could pose a danger in run-off-road crashes.

“The most important thing after a crash is to understand what happened and what we can learn from it so that we can respond,” the agency said, adding that the findings of the Transportation Accident Investigation Board would be particularly important.

“We will review how we can do more to improve road surroundings, but it is a major task because conditions are difficult in many places throughout the road network. We have been working on improvements and prioritising the funds we receive,” it said.