Motorsport could move reckless driving off public roads

Motorsport could help steer young people away from reckless driving on public roads, though it is unlikely to eliminate the problem, Jón Þór Jónsson, chairman of the Icelandic Motorsport Association, told mbl.is.

Speaking on the Dagmál programme, Jón Þór said motorsport was part of the solution to dangerous driving by young people on the streets of the capital, but that other measures would also be needed.

The association is in talks with the police and the Transport Authority and wants to visit schools to explain what it can do, he said. Enforcing traffic laws and monitoring road users is the police’s responsibility, Jón Þór added, but cooperation between organisations would bring together different perspectives.

The association is working to provide young people with a safe setting for high-speed driving through motorsport.

There has been public debate about speeding and risky behaviour among young drivers following a crash at the junction of Krýsuvíkurvegur and Leiðarendi in late August, in which three young people died. A young man also died in a crash on Miklabraut in February.