Icelandic Transport Authority
Rules on lighting equipment - particularly trucks
16th December 2024
The Icelandic Transport Authority would like to draw attention to the rules on lighting equipment, especially lights and reflectors on trucks. There have been a number of inquiries regarding the lighting equipment of these cars, whether it is permissible to have the lights that are often seen on them and also complaints about the light levels that are sometimes present.
Lights and reflectors shall not be installed on vehicles unless it is mandatory or specifically permitted to have the lights or reflectors in question.
There has been a noticeable increase in the use of unauthorised lights of various kinds in trucks in recent years, especially in trucks used mainly outside of urban areas. The introduction of LEDs is probably the biggest factor.
The Icelandic Transport Authority has been concerned about this and has used various guidance measures during the year and has been in contact with vehicle inspection offices and police traffic controls about this. It can be assumed that more stringent responses will be made in inspections regarding this issue in the coming year, as well as in traffic controls.
The lamps in question are almost invariably retro-mounted lamps that are not part of the cars lighting equipment as they come from manufacturers. There are a lot of mini-lights that seem to be decorative and too many spotlights. These extra lights that are neither mandatory nor specifically authorized are not allowed.