Driving in Norway

Norwegians drive on the right side of the road. Seat belts are required to be worn by all passengers in moving vehicles. There are heavy fines for violations. Vehicles are required to have their headlights illuminated any time the vehicle is in motion—at all hours of the day and night.

Speed Limit

Speed limits are comparatively low in Norway and are posted in kilometers per hour.  Automatic Traffic Control cameras are found throughout the country. The license plate is photographed and a fine notice is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle if speed limits are exceeded.

Round-about

Round-abouts are found in abundance in Norway. The basic rule is to yield to traffic coming from the left in the round-about. Traffic entering from the left or traffic that is already in the round-about has the right of way. The rule of thumb when negotiating a round-about is to stay to the right if driving less than 180 degrees around and stay to the left if driving more than 180 degrees around. It is customary to indicate the intention to leave the round-about with the right blinker.


Parking

Parking can be a real challenge, especially in more heavily populated areas, and fines are high. The blue circle with a white P in the middle indicates public parking facilities—either parking lots or more frequently underground parking garages. Customarily one takes a ticket upon entering a parking garage and pays before leaving at a centrally located automat. In parking lots, one must estimate the amount of time needed and purchase a ticket that must be dispalyed in the front window of the car.

TIP!  Many shopping centers and malls allow 2 or 3 hours free parking as long as a ticket from the automat is displayed in the car window.

Driving and Drinking

Driving and drinking is not tolerated in Norway. The blood alcohol limit is .01%—equivalent to 1 glass of wine of bottle of regular beer in an evening. As a result, Norwegians generally have a designated driver in each group or take a taxi home after a night out. Fines for driving under the influence are exceptionally high. Extreme cases can involve a jail sentence. For further information on driving in Norway, visit Bug Europe's Driving in Norway.