Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.03.2016, Page 22

NO PAYMENTS FOR EXPENSIVE RESCUE MISSIONS
By METTE MJÖBERG TEGNANDER
It´s busy times for the Icelandic Associa-
tion for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR),
with over 1,500 rescue missions a year.
The increasing numbers of missions
have lead to a debate over the possibility
of ICE-SAR charging people after their
rescue, to cover the increasing costs of
their operations. But ICE-SAR has clear-
ly stated that no one should have to pay if
they are in danger.
The record number of tourists visit-
ing Iceland, combined with more and
more Icelanders hiking and visiting the
highlands, seems to be the reason for
ICE-SAR’s big workload. “The discus-
sion about charging people has become
relevant especially after big operations
and after saving tourists,” says ICE-
SAR’s information officer, Ólöf S. Bal-
dursdóttir, continuing: “ICE-SAR have
decided not to charge people. We want
people to contact us if they need help. No
one should have to think about their per-
sonal economy before calling us.”
Ólöf points out that if people in need
hesitate to contact the rescue organiza-
tion, some dicey situations could develop
into more critical cases. In the end, it
would mean that ICE-SAR would have
to send rescue teams into more danger-
ous assignments.

Educating before forbidding
Today, ICE-SAR consists of volunteers
in 97 different rescue teams, located
throughout the country. The organi-
zation works closely with the police,
the road administration and the Coast
Guard, but they also collaborate with lo-
cals and tourism organizations to reach
out to people.
As Ólöf explains, “the weather con-
ditions on Iceland are extremely chal-
lenging, even for the most experienced
explorers. An important part of our work
is spreading information about this to
foreigners, for example on Safetravel
website. We do not have the authority
to, nor do we want to forbid anyone to
experience Icelandic nature. We believe
in educating and informing people about
the right behavior and suitable gear in-
stead.”

Drivers, watch out
But there is one group that might actu-
ally have to pay for getting help from
ICE-SAR, at least via insurance com-
panie's drivers. “We have seen a big ex-
pansion in car-related problems,” Ólöf
relates. “Sometimes it can be about bad
road conditions or cars getting stuck, but
a lot of times it’s more service-related
tasks like punctured wheels or running
out of gas. Since tasks like this are very
time-consuming for our volunteers and
no one really is in danger, we could actu-
ally think about establishing some kind
of service-related payment for this.”
ICE-SAR shares information about safe
traveling here:
www.safetravel.is
SHARE: gpv.is/sar
Along with economic prosperity, the un-
precedented growth of Iceland’s tourism
sector has brought problems tied to Ice-
land’s infrastructure.
A case in point is Iceland’s road sys-
tem. Rising traffic volumes on rural
roads, and an increasing number of mo-
torists unfamiliar with local conditions
or driving unsuitable vehicles, are con-
tributing to a rise in incidents. Tragedy
has at times resulted when tourists end
up on closed roads because they either
do not see, heed or understand posted
signs. More often, though, this causes a
nuisance and results in Iceland’s volun-
teer rescue squads venturing out into the
country to assist hapless tourists whose
car got stuck in a pile of snow.
It is easy to attribute such incidents
to tourists’ carelessness or ignorance.
However, a closer look reveals that there
are other factors at play, some of which I
have experienced firsthand. If we are in-
deed serious about solving this problem,
we need to look beyond tourists to what
we can do to help.
IT’S A CULTURAL THING
Part of the problem stems from a pre-
dominantly “hands off” culture at car
rental agencies, who often take local
driving experience for granted even
when doing business with inexperienced
tourists. It is true that tourists have a
responsibility to inform themselves;
however, Icelandic conditions are so
unlike anything that most will have ex-
perienced that they often do not know
enough to know which questions to ask.
This culture isn’t prevalent within ev-
ery Icelandic rental car agency, but it’s
still something The Icelandic Road and
Coastal Administration (IRCA) and res-
cue teams are pushing to change.
Þór Þorsteinsson, Chair of the Rescue
Squad OK (RSO), told me that “not only
should [rental car agencies] help people
choose the right vehicle, but they should
guide them on how to gather informa-
tion about road closings, weather condi-
tions and forecasts.” Speaking of winter
rentals, he said: “It is irresponsible to
send tourists out into the countryside
in a Yaris.” Of course, it is possible that
some tourists will insist on the cheapest
car, regardless of advice to the contrary.
GOOGLE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND
Þór told me that GPS navigation sys-
tems are also a common, easily avoid-
able cause of tourists’ travel catastro-
phes. In Iceland, Google Maps does not
presently offer updated road conditions,
which means suggested routes could
easily lead you onto a road that is dan-
gerous or closed without warning. This
doesn’t mean such information isn’t eas-
ily attainable. As the IRCA’s Pétur Mat-
thíasson notes, travellers should check
their website, road.is, at least twice a day
before travelling in Iceland by car, espe-
cially during wintertime, and plan trips
accordingly. The maps on road.is are
constantly updated, offering informa-
tion on which roads are open, which are
dangerous, and which are closed.
THE IDEAL POSITION
Speaking with Pétur, I was surprised
to learn that the IRCA has published a
document, in cooperation with several
other agencies, detailing “how different
it is to drive in Iceland.” While they re-
quest that rental agencies place the po-
tentially life-saving document across the
steering wheel of any vehicle they rent
out, the IRCA is powerless to enforce its
distribution, as it is an advisory precau-
tion, rather than a law. Pétur told me:
“It’s very difficult to get information to
tourists by ordinary means.” Aren’t local
car rental agencies in an ideal position to
do just that?
A CASE STUDY
I emailed the long-term rental depart-
ment of Hertz Iceland, explaining that
I would be living in Grímsnes over the
winter, and I was told I needed a 4x4. I
knew nothing of Icelandic winters in the
countryside. I've lived in London for the
past fifteen years. We discussed two 4x4
options. Hertz offered no information
about the cars, other than the features I
asked about. The Skoda Octavia had bet-
ter gas mileage, so I opted for that.
To make a long story short, I got
stuck on the track to my home, shovel-
ling snow from under the Skoda. I didn't
need to call the rescue squads because I
had a shovel given to me by a local friend.
The Skoda is a good car—however, with
a ground clearance of 15.5 cm, it may by
definition be a 4x4, but it’s basically a
sedan. This is far from suited to a win-
ter in Grímsnes. Hertz also neglected to
tell me about the button which operates
the traction control system. By default,
it is on; however, it needs to be switched
off for driving in deep snow. I found out
about it after the event.
When I called Hertz to change cars I
explained the situation to the manager.
He told me it isn’t company policy to
advise clients on rental car choices. He
expressed regret about their failure to
inform me of the traction control, but we
arrived at no feasible solution. I found a
solution at Cheap Jeep, who have a se-
lection of older powerful Jeeps for the
worst of the winter. They made an effort
to inform me of precautions and advised
on cars and their controls. The names
of the websites road.is and vedur.is are
printed at the bottom of their contracts.
SOME SOLUTIONS
Presently, no “seal of approval” certifica-
tion is issued to rental agencies, but that
seems like a good idea. Perhaps a third
party could create a rating system?
All car rental agencies should issue
their customers clear, concise informa-
tion detailing the essentials of driving in
Iceland, such as how often and where to
check weather and road conditions, and
why they should avoid relying on Google
Maps or GPS.
Someone, perhaps IRCA, could de-
velop an Iceland-specific GPS app us-
ing information feeds from road.is and
Google Maps’ APIs, to make tourists
aware of dangers and road closures, re-
routing them when necessary. Another
option would be to petition Google to
incorporate road condition updates
in their Maps app. Such an app would
never be failsafe, and should not replace
the proposed gates, but it will nonethe-
less promote safety conveniently and at
a comparatively low cost (app develop-
ment costs an estimated 2-10 million
ISK, depending on complexity).
If tourists’ own reckless ignorance
were really to blame for the majority
of their traffic mishaps, shouldn’t Ice-
landers feel obligated to offer them the
information and resources necessary to
inform themselves?
--
Gabrielle is a photographer/writer living
and driving in Iceland while she works
on her book 'An Equal Difference’. Learn
more at www.gabriellemotola.com
SHARE: gpv.is/drivesafe
5 STEPS TO BASIC
ROAD SAFETY IN
ICELAND
Here are some basic
points to stay safe and
informed when driving in
Iceland:
SAFETY: www.safetravel.
is has a helpful pop-up
message on the home
page indicating any cur-
rent danger situations.
WEATHER: For weather
and storm warnings in
English, check en.vedur.is.
ROADS & GPS: Use
road.is for road info. You
can also call their hotline,
1777. Amend any GPS
route accordingly.
VEHICLE BASICS: Use
winter spikes on tires if
you are an inexperienced
winter driver. Not all
rental agencies equip cars
with these as standard, so
you may need to request
them. Make sure your car
has appropriate ground
clearance. Know the
controls if you are driving
a 4x4.
EMERGENCY: The
emergency number in
Iceland is 112; there is also
a 112 Iceland phone app.
Register your travel plan
with the emergency ser-
vices. The app serves as a
tracking and rescue tool
in case of emergencies.
22 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 3 — 2016TRAVEL
Travel Safety
Driving in Iceland?
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Words & Photos by GABRIELLE MOTOLA