Accident register information
Systematic road accident registration in Iceland began in 1966 and the purpose of registration was to get a meaningful comparison of accident rates before and after 1968, when the right hand traffic came into force.
The registration of accidents is based on police reports from the database of the National Commissioner of Police.
In addition, since 2009, data from Assistance and Security has been used. Assistance and safety records only show damage to property, but the company is a self-employed and neutral service company that carries out on-site investigations of road accidents.
Traffic accident registration
When people are injured in road accidents, the police must be called in. In the road accident registration, injuries are divided into two categories, little and major injuries.
A passer-by is not considered to be injured unless he/she has demonstrably been taken to a hospital, health clinic or under medical care by ambulance, police vehicle, helicopter or comes to the police and reports that he/she has sought medical assistance due to injury.
Road traffic fatalities are defined as the death of a person as a result of the injuries sustained in a road accident within 30 days of the time of occurrence of that accident, which is deemed to have died in a road accident.
Studies on road accidents show that the official registration does not cover all those who are injured in traffic.
Road accidents are sometimes reported to doctors or medical institutions, but not to the police. The severity of the injury is important.
It can be assumed that those who are injured in a small way will not report this to the police.
Medical institutions and insurance companies record far more minor injuries from road accidents than is stated in the Directorate of Transportation's registration.