Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

ROADS

What you need to know about driving in Norway

Driving in a new country can be daunting. This is especially true in Norway. New laws, new traffic signs, and harsh weather conditions are all contributing factors to a foreigner's uncertainty behind the wheel. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 21 September 2020 12:01 CEST
Updated: 12 December 2020 09:40 CET
What you need to know about driving in Norway
Photo: Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash

Norway has taken strong measures to ensure safety while in a vehicle and it can be helpful to know a few key points before getting behind the wheel.

It's also worth noting that owning a car in Norway is expensive.

On account of the high cost for vehicles, toll payments, service requirements, and expensive driver's education, driving in Norway is a luxury.

Generally, Norwegian drivers are known to be on the safer side. This is due to slower speed limits, higher penalty fines, extra precautions needed to be taken during the winter, and a general understanding that driving is a serious responsibility.

Rules you need to know

According to national road authority The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen, NPRA), here are a few driving rules that are particular to Norway.

  • If you are originally from the EU/EEA countries, your license from your home country is valid and can be exchanged for a Norwegian driving licence without taking any test. If you are originally from outside the EU/EEA countries, then it can be more of a challenge to get a Norwegian driving licence. The sooner you look into your home country's driving agreements, the better. There are time limits (starting from when you enter the country) for exchanging your licence to a Norwegian one. If you wait too long then it could mean having to start the whole driver's education process from the beginning. 
  • It is required by law to have a reflector vest within arm's reach of the driver in every vehicle. This is in case of any unexpected stops beside the road and you must leave the vehicle for some reason while still being close to the roadway.
  • Driving with a blood alcohol level above 0.2 percent is illegal. Neighbouring country, Sweden, has the same rule. The amount you can drink is considerably more strict than in countries like Great Britain and The United States. Both of which allow drivers to have a legal blood alcohol limit of 0.8 percent.
  • Be aware of the roads entering a main road from the right. Norway is unlike most other countries when oftentimes, drivers entering a main road from the right have the right of way.

AFP

  • Changing over to winter tyres is a must in Norway. It is the car owner’s responsibility to make sure winter tyres are on the vehicle before winter conditions threaten a driver's safety. However, it is mandatory for tyres with a tread depth of 3mm be used between November 1st and the Sunday after Easter Monday. It may sound peculiar to make it a rule to have winter tyres on after a holiday that changes in date. This is because Easter is a time where roads are densely populated with Norwegians heading to their cabins or on holiday. 

Strict penalties

Breaking Norway’s traffic laws can be costly. As noted on the Norwegian Police website, Norway has many road traffic laws and regulations and the police decide which of them applies in each individual situation.

Here are some of the fines which can be incurred for breaking traffic laws.

  • Failure to stop at a red light can result in a fine of 6,800 kroner, while not giving way when required can also set you back that amount. You can also be fined 5,500 kroner for driving unlawfully in a public transport lane.
  • Talking on a mobile phone without using the hands free technology costs 1,700 kroner in fines for a first time offender. This will also be marked as an offence on your permanent traffic record.
  • Driving without a licence has been reported to be punishable with a fine of up to a whopping 10,000 kroner.

 

AFP

  • Driving over the speed limit is punished depending on how fast you were going. As little as 5 km/h over the speed limit can cost an 800 kroner fine. Breaching the speed limit by more than 25 km/h can result in a driving ban.
  • Cameras used to check a vehicle's speed are placed all around Norwegian roads. They are especially popular in densely driven areas. It would be wrong to assume you will avoid a speeding ticket if you slow down right before the camera takes an incriminating photo. In some cases, two cameras set up a distance apart from each other will measure the vehicle's speed by timing how long it takes the vehicle to get from the first camera to the second.

Beware the elk

While driving in Norway is considered to be safe there are certain hazards drivers need to be aware of and one of them is the wildlife.

The story of the Norwegian driver who crashed into a bear to avoid hitting an elk tells you everything you need to know about the wildlife hazards in Norway, even if they are rare.

AFP

According to the Nordic visitor website drivers in in rural forested areas should “be aware of elk/moose or deer near the roadsides as they may suddenly jump into traffic, especially during dusk and dawn.”

In northern regions, reindeer (often in groups) may also wander into the road. There are usually warning signs in areas where animals are known to make frequent crossings.

READ ALSO: Elk or moose?

Drivers training 

As explained by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, here are some of the necessary hoops to jump through in order to attain a Norwegian driving license.

  • Before beginning driving lessons, you will have to submit a doctor's approved eyesight certificate. It may also be necessary to submit a health certificate from a doctor as well.
  • Along with meeting the number of required driving hours with a certified instructor, new drivers must also pass practical and written driving exams before getting their license.
  • Glattkjøring, or 'slippery driving', is mandatory under the Norwegian driver’s education program. It is a driving simulation administered on a special arena that has been set up for driving students to practice the correct reactions while driving on icy roads.
  • All drivers who are undergoing training must have a visible L-Plate on the back of the vehicle's window. You can download one and print it out, or buy one at selected gas stations.

If you are interested in getting your license or driving in Norway, it can be helpful to look at NPRA's website.

Useful Norwegian words to know for driving

Vikeplikt – Duty to give way or yield. The vikeplikt sign is an upside down red triangle telling the driver they must wait for the road they’re entering to be clear.

Fartsgrense – Speed limit. The speed limit sign is a read circle with the speed limit number found inside. Norway relies heavily on road signs as a way to communicate with drivers and speed limit signs pop up often on windy mountainous roads.

Isete vei – Icy road. If you see a sign with these words, or hear it on the radio, pay extra attention to the current road conditions you are driving on.

by Agnes Erickson

 

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

DRIVING

What medical conditions can lose you your driving licence in Norway?

Certain medical conditions and disabilities can lead to your Norwegian driving licence being temporarily suspended or taken away. Here's how the system works.

Published: 17 September 2024 10:58 CEST
What medical conditions can lose you your driving licence in Norway?

What are your rights to a driving licence in Norway?

You don’t have an absolute right to a driving licence in Norway. In the eyes of the authorities, traffic safety always comes first.

This means that if you already have or develop a health condition that affects your ability to drive safely, you could end up losing your licence, having it suspended for a period, or only being granted a temporary licence valid for one, two or five years rather than the usual 15. 

When getting your licence

When you apply for or renew a licence to drive a car or motorbike in Norway or apply to swap an international licence for a Norwegian one, you need to fill in a form declaring that you do not suffer from any health complications that might affect your ability to drive.

Those with such a condition, will need to get a health certificate from a doctor, psychologist, optician or other specialist before they can be issued with a new licence. 

If you want a licence to drive a heavy vehicle such as a bus or truck, you must have a doctor’s certificate declaring that you do not have a health condition making you unfit to drive. 

If you develop a condition after getting a Norwegian licence

Suppose you, yourself, suspect that you have or are developing a health condition that affects your ability to drive safely. In that case, you have a duty in Norway to visit a doctor, psychologist or optician to have an assessment.

What is most likely to happen, however, is that your doctor, psychologist or optician, while treating you, will themselves take action to have your licence suspended or revoked if they suspect you are no longer safe on the roads.  

They will start by issuing a verbal ban, telling you not to drive until your condition is assessed or until your licence is formally revoked. These can be issued for up to six months, and you have a duty to obey. If police stop you and they learn of the verbal ban, you risk being charged as if you were driving without a licence.

Should you be are involved in an accident, your insurance company will also treat you as driving without a licence. If you disagree with the verbal ban, you can get a second opinion from another doctor who can lift it. But you must still respect it until that examination takes place. 

When a doctor, psychologist, or optician suspects your impairment will last longer than six months, they will contact the local County Governor, or Statsforvalteren, advising them either to revoke, suspend, or limit your driving licence. You can find a Q&A in Norwegian on how County Governors handle driving licence cases here.

In cases where the doctor is not sure how badly the health condition affects driving, they may request a driving assessment by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. 

If the County Governor judges that you are not safe, they then contact the police calling for your licence to be revoked in full, limited to certain vehicles, or limited in time. 

If you have a temporary licence 

For many health conditions, the guidelines mean you will not be issued a normal 15-year driving licence and instead will be issued with one valid for six months, a year, three years, or five years, after which you will need to have a new health assessment by your doctor, psychologist or optician, or even undergo another driving assessment by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.  

What health conditions might lead to you losing your licence? 

On the website of the Norwegian Health Services, there is a long list of conditions which could conceivably make you unsafe behind the wheel. Still, they include deteriorating eyesight, cognitive or neurological disorders, strokes, multiple sclerosis, meningitis or encephalitis, brain injuries, brain diseases or tumours, epilepsy, sleep disorders, heart conditions, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, the use of some medicines, particularly painkillers such as opioids, respiratory failure, and kidney failure. 

In many conditions, such as strokes, acute meningitis, being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or pacemaker, epilepsy, schizophrenia or manic episodes, or alcohol or drug abuse, doctors will automatically give you a verbal ban of one week, three months, or six months, depending on the condition, before you can be issued with a health certificate recommending you be given a temporary or permanent driving licence. 

With progressive, degenerative conditions, such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or chronic renal failure, you may not get an immediate driving ban but instead have your permanent 15-year licence replaced with a temporary one valid only for two, three, or five years, depending on the condition. 

Psychiatric conditions

Diagnosis with schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders, a manic episode, or a succession of manic episodes, is not in itself enough to prevent you from having a driving licence, but for the first three, you need to be in a stable condition for three months and show good compliance with your treatment before a psychiatrist can give you a health certificate recommending you be granted a driving licence for up to two years.

If you have had a succession of manic episodes, you may have to wait six months before you are allowed to drive. After two years, you can apply for a driving licence with the standard 15-year duration.

Drivers with conditions such as ADHD or ADD who don’t have a conduct disorder diagnosis can get a health certificate immediately recommending a driving licence for up to two years, so long as you have “good cognitive functioning”, after which you can have a normal licence. If you have an ADHD diagnosis and do have contact disorder, you need to show that you are being treated and that the treatment makes you a safe driver, after which you can get a driving licence for two years at a time. 

Those with autism, a personality disorder, or an intellectual disability can get a certificate allowing them to get a normal 15-year driving licence for a car if a doctor or psychologist rules that their functional level is “compatible with the safe driving of a motor vehicle”.

Alcoholic or drug addict 

Substance abuse problems can affect your right to a driving licence. If your licence is taken away because of problem use, you can fulfil the health requirements after six months if a monthly follow-up indicates that you are currently sober, you can then be recommended a driving licence for one year at a time for three years, after which you can have a licence for five years, after which you will be eligible for a 15-year licence. 

Use of medicines that affect driving 

Some medicines can affect your ability to drive, with some treatments leading to a short-term verbal ban. If you are taking opioids for long-term pain management, you can drive, however, so long as the daily dose is less than the equivalent of 300 mg of morphine and it is more than a week since your last dose increase. 

SHOW COMMENTS