READERS REVEAL: Are Norwegians good drivers?
Norwegians go through a strict process to get their driving licences. However, does all the extra training lead to considerate and safe drivers on the road? The Local's readers have had their say.
Many will have heard of countries where to get a driver's licence, all you need to do is drive from one end of the road to another.
Fortunately, Norway requires quite a bit more from learner drivers for them to be able to take the roads legally.
The process itself is as expensive as it is arduous. Before starting, applicants attend a traffic course which covers first aid and night driving, for example. From there, the basics of car control are covered.
After that, drivers will be required to drive in different environments, such as urban settings and country roads and then go to a safety course on a practice track.
This is all before the final module, which is 13 hours of assessment before taking the final driving test itself. At some stage during this process, drivers are also required to pass their theory test.
The fact that all this adds up to roughly 30,000- 40,000 kroner means that only those serious about learning to drive go through the process of obtaining their licence.
Furthermore, when measuring traffic-related deaths per 100,000, Norwegians are among the safest drivers in the world. One contributor to Norway's impeccable safety record is its zero-vision approach.
Essentially, successive governments have set the goal of Norway working towards the goal of zero-traffic deaths being recorded in a year.
So, it would be fair to describe Norwegians as safe and well-trained drivers, but does that also mean they are considerate and well-mannered?
We asked our readers whether they thought Norwegians were good drivers. Overall, just under 60 percent said that Norwegians were good drivers.
One reader, who didn't leave a name, explained that they thought Norwegians were good drivers because of their safe practices when it came to sharing the road with cyclists.
"Patiently waiting to drive past a cyclist until it can be done safely. No honking, no overtaking uphill or without safe distance," the reader wrote.
This viewpoint matches a previous survey among readers on cycling in the country. Among those who said Norway was a good country for those who prefer to get about on bikes, many pointed to polite and considerate motorists as a positive.
READ ALSO: What it's like to cycle in Norway
Eleni, who has spent five years living in Trondheim, also noted that they usually are reasonably careful behind the wheel of a car and do a commendable job of following the rules of the road.
Other compliments for Norwegian drivers ranged from being well trained due to the strict process of obtaining a licence to being generally polite with good road manners.
Some readers were more split on Norwegian drivers. A few noted that while many have good skills, they can struggle with bad habits.
"Generally, they are good at the driving part but have bad road manners. For example, you're supposed to know where they are going and make allowances for that, even if you have the right of way or are legally correct- it's (still) you that has to get out of the way! So, this leads to some hairy situations, like (Norwegians) driving out in front of you knowing there's too little time. So you have to brake," Robert in Rykkinn wrote.
Those who were less on the fence and more in the camp that Norwegians didn't make good drivers pointed to a lack of concertation behind the wheel and dangerous habits like using their phones while driving as issues.
"Terrible roundabout driving skills. (They) cannot handle yield intersections, and (they) are obsessed with texting while driving. Accidents are just waiting to happen," Julia in Stavanger wrote.
Similarly, a report by Trygg Trafikk and Tryg Forsikring found that one of the most common issues reported by road users in Norway was drivers not paying enough attention to the roads.
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Many will have heard of countries where to get a driver's licence, all you need to do is drive from one end of the road to another.
Fortunately, Norway requires quite a bit more from learner drivers for them to be able to take the roads legally.
The process itself is as expensive as it is arduous. Before starting, applicants attend a traffic course which covers first aid and night driving, for example. From there, the basics of car control are covered.
After that, drivers will be required to drive in different environments, such as urban settings and country roads and then go to a safety course on a practice track.
This is all before the final module, which is 13 hours of assessment before taking the final driving test itself. At some stage during this process, drivers are also required to pass their theory test.
The fact that all this adds up to roughly 30,000- 40,000 kroner means that only those serious about learning to drive go through the process of obtaining their licence.
Furthermore, when measuring traffic-related deaths per 100,000, Norwegians are among the safest drivers in the world. One contributor to Norway's impeccable safety record is its zero-vision approach.
Essentially, successive governments have set the goal of Norway working towards the goal of zero-traffic deaths being recorded in a year.
So, it would be fair to describe Norwegians as safe and well-trained drivers, but does that also mean they are considerate and well-mannered?
We asked our readers whether they thought Norwegians were good drivers. Overall, just under 60 percent said that Norwegians were good drivers.
One reader, who didn't leave a name, explained that they thought Norwegians were good drivers because of their safe practices when it came to sharing the road with cyclists.
"Patiently waiting to drive past a cyclist until it can be done safely. No honking, no overtaking uphill or without safe distance," the reader wrote.
This viewpoint matches a previous survey among readers on cycling in the country. Among those who said Norway was a good country for those who prefer to get about on bikes, many pointed to polite and considerate motorists as a positive.
READ ALSO: What it's like to cycle in Norway
Eleni, who has spent five years living in Trondheim, also noted that they usually are reasonably careful behind the wheel of a car and do a commendable job of following the rules of the road.
Other compliments for Norwegian drivers ranged from being well trained due to the strict process of obtaining a licence to being generally polite with good road manners.
Some readers were more split on Norwegian drivers. A few noted that while many have good skills, they can struggle with bad habits.
"Generally, they are good at the driving part but have bad road manners. For example, you're supposed to know where they are going and make allowances for that, even if you have the right of way or are legally correct- it's (still) you that has to get out of the way! So, this leads to some hairy situations, like (Norwegians) driving out in front of you knowing there's too little time. So you have to brake," Robert in Rykkinn wrote.
Those who were less on the fence and more in the camp that Norwegians didn't make good drivers pointed to a lack of concertation behind the wheel and dangerous habits like using their phones while driving as issues.
"Terrible roundabout driving skills. (They) cannot handle yield intersections, and (they) are obsessed with texting while driving. Accidents are just waiting to happen," Julia in Stavanger wrote.
Similarly, a report by Trygg Trafikk and Tryg Forsikring found that one of the most common issues reported by road users in Norway was drivers not paying enough attention to the roads.
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