Iceland proposes temporary seizure of vehicles used off-road

Police could be allowed to temporarily seize vehicles used in illegal off-road driving, under a bill proposed by Iceland’s environment, energy and climate minister, mbl.is reports. The measure is intended to prevent further offences or damage to nature.

The draft bill, submitted to the government’s consultation portal by Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, would also increase penalties for off-road driving and allow the Nature Conservation Agency to seek reimbursement for the cost of repairing damage.

The proposals follow repeated cases of tourists driving off-road, including two French men who were reported by mbl.is to have driven Land Rover vehicles for long stretches off the Emstruleið route in Fjallabak this summer. A person who regularly transports equipment in the area said they had driven as much as a kilometre away from the road. A guide had earlier caught them driving off-road near Katla, where one vehicle became stuck in a hole.

Police later questioned the men and fined them amounts described as hundreds of thousands of krónur. They continued travelling around the country, while tourism operators shared reports of their whereabouts in Facebook groups and police monitored their movements.

The bill would allow the Nature Conservation Agency to carry out necessary repairs to significant damage caused by off-road driving and charge those responsible for the costs. Examples include removing tracks in the ground, repairing damage to vegetation and reducing other effects of the offence.

The proposed amendments to nature conservation law also cover infrastructure, passenger drop-offs in protected areas, and clearer powers to protect and conserve areas at sea.