Are the speed Limits just for Tourists?
I Know the title seems kind of stupid but hear me out, I have a serious question and i am confused.
My mom, my Sister and I are travelling on a round trip along the ring road for two weeks. We familiarized ourselves With the speed Limits on different roads.
We can also read signs and drive accordingly, since the speeding fines can be enforced by just ging 1km/h above the allowed, in theory.
"Great" we think, since we Have a rental with Cruise Control, with which we can easily Set the allowed speed.
Now to the reason of this post:
We have by now travelled from the airport to Vík within four days and ran into a lot of speed limitations of 50km/h on the ring road, due to construction site signs, and or warnings of loose gravel or whatever.
Respectful tourists as we are we always follow These signs and also we Do Not want any of the hefty fines starting at around 200$.
Now: whenever we encounter such a limitation, they seem to drag on for an eternity (once for Even 20 km) and every car Passes us at 90km/h or similar.
I swear to god I have Not missed a 90km/h sign or the sign that uplifts previous Restrictions, as my eyes scan the road longing for this snail speed to stop.
My question is, since my gut Feeling is all of These passing cars,trucks and even the damn Tour Busses passing by are locals, are These signs only made for tourists?
Is there some iceland citizen inside knowledge, that they Know they have nothing to fear?
I mean...going 90 in a 50 Zone (Not City Zone, just ring road Restriction zones) hast to be a huge financial risk for icelanders aswell, am i right?
WHAT AM I MISSING?
p.s.
none of the drivers passing us are aggressive or rude. Never once Got honked at or flashed by headlights, none of the usual "impatient" international driver attitude.
It seems like they pass by and think to themselves:"heh, another dumb tourist who will take a lot longer to get where he is going."
Enlighten me, friendly icelanders. Cast Light upon my humble Soul.
Thx for reading my Ted Talk.