Report says driver was too fast for conditions in fatal crash

A driver who lost control of a car in Stafdalur, Seyðisfjörður, in December 2025 is believed to have been travelling too fast for the conditions, mbl.is reports, citing the findings of the Transport Accident Investigation Board. The car collided with an oncoming vehicle, and a man in his 80s who was sitting in the rear seat of the other car later died.

The main cause of the crash was considered to be the driver losing control while travelling through a left-hand bend on an icy road. When control was regained, the car had crossed into the opposite lane and collided head-on with the oncoming vehicle.

The driver of the other car tried to steer into a snowdrift. Investigators also identified the first driver’s speed as a contributing factor. The advisory maximum speed at the crash site was 60 kilometres per hour, while snow and ice on the road had reduced grip.

The two cars collided at speeds of 34 and 28 kilometres per hour. Five seconds before the crash, the car that lost control was travelling at 59 kilometres per hour, while the oncoming car was travelling at 48 kilometres per hour.

The driver who lost control was a foreign visitor. He told investigators that he had previously driven in snow and icy conditions during his travels, but had held a driving licence for just over four years when the crash occurred.