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Norway has the strictest driving fines in Europe, study shows

Norway tops the table for the most expensive fines for drink-driving, running red lights and motorway speeding, compared to the rest of Europe, a new study has revealed.

Published: 29 May 2021 15:54 CEST

Norway has the strictest driving fines in Europe, study shows

Watch your speed, Norway's driving fines are eye-wateringly expensive. Photo: Olivier MORIN / AFP

Drinking and driving is not only dangerous but incurs hefty fines in much of Europe, but none as expensive as in Norway, a new study by driving institute Zutobi found.

Being 0.02 percent over the blood alcohol limit in Norway will cost you an eye-watering €5,783 at a minimum.

This compares with the Czech Republic, where drink-driving penalties start at just €19 for having anything over zero percent alcohol in your blood.

Norway also has the most expensive fines for running red lights — penalties of up to €756 are charged, far outpacing the €10 minimum penalty levied in Albania, the European country with the least expensive fines for ignoring the stop signal.

Norway tops the table for driving fines compared to Europe. Source: Zutobi

The Nordic country is just as strict when it comes to speeding on motorways: get caught exceeding the statutory 110km/h speed limit and you could be charged as much as €711, hundreds of euros above Italy, the second-strictest European country for speeding fines.

You’re much less likely to be snapped racing down the road, though, as Norway only has 311 speed cameras compared to Italy’s 8,073.

READ ALSO: Norway trebles fine for using mobile phone at the wheel

At the other end of the scale, these countries are lax with their driving fines, with Albania placing first for the least strict in Europe. Source: Zutobi

At the other end of the scale, the least strict country in Europe for driving fines is Albania, with motorway speeding starting at just €20 and an almost unnoticeable €8 fine if you’re caught using your mobile phone while driving.

Zutobi gathered its data on fines, speed limits and blood alcohol limits from Speeding Europe, SCBD and Auto Europe.

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How to tell if a parking ticket in Norway is valid

A bright yellow menace found attached to the wipers of cars all over Norway, parking tickets can be pretty hefty.

Not all parking tickets issued in Norway are valid, meaning that in some cases, you won’t need to pay them. To avoid rogue providers exploiting motorists with bogus tickets, the Norwegian government introduced universal parking regulations in 2017.

In short, the measures laid out by the Ministry of Transport and Communications ensure that the public has clear knowledge of when a parking ticket is valid and must be paid and when it can be appealed.

Car parks and parking areas where anyone can park for payment, within a time limit, or under other conditions must be registered in the national parking register. If the area isn’t registered, the vehicle owner can’t be issued a ticket.

If you do get a ticket and wish to check whether the area can be used for parking, you can check on the Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s website.

READ ALSO: The punishments for Norway’s most common traffic offences

Furthermore, there are rules on what a parking ticket must contain for it to be valid. The fine must have information about how to contact the company, what you have done to get a ticket, how you can complain and your deadline for complaining.

Any parking fines must also allow the recipient to go through the appeal process before payment is collected, provided the ticket holder applies within the appeal deadline.

If the fine doesn’t contain all the above information, or the car park isn’t in the national register, it isn’t valid.

Tickets are also considered invalid if the parking area is not signposted correctly or if the signs are difficult to understand.

There’s also some good news for those who struggle with punctuality. A fine should be waived if the ticket was issued within five minutes of the parking expiring. Tickets can also be scrubbed if there is no payment machine in a car park.

Appealing fines

If you receive a ticket that you feel was invalid, you will need to first appeal to the parking company. If the appeal is rebuffed, or you do not receive an answer from the parking firm, you must raise your complaint with the Norwegian Parking Appeal Tribunal. Information on the Norwegian Parking Appeal Tribunal can be found in English.

Why you’ll receive a fine

Tickets are issued for breaking the parking area’s terms and conditions. Sometimes, honest mistakes can also result in tickets. For example, you can be fined at car parks with car reg systems if you enter a single letter or number incorrectly.

You’ll also receive a yellow slip if your parking breaks general traffic regulations.

“If you have parked in violation of the Road Traffic Act, the traffic rules or the sign regulations, you can also receive a parking fine. Such a violation can be, for example, if you park where public signs prohibit parking or stopping, you park at intersections, on sidewalks, too close or on footpaths or in cycle lanes. It is mainly the municipality that issues this type of fine, and in these cases, the parking regulations do not apply,” Halgeir Jansen from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration said in a press release, issuing driver advice.

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