– You see a lot of strange things when you drive a taxi, but this was extra special. I have never seen anything on this scale here, says Tord Corneliussen. On the night of 5 November last year, he is a taxi driver on the road from Os to Bergen. At 100 km/h, he discovers that something is moving in front of him. He slows down. In front of him, the three BMWs are standing still on the motorway. When he gets closer, they start the turnaround. When he meets them, two of them are coming towards the direction of travel. – “What’s going on here?” was the first thing that crossed my mind. I got a little lump in my throat and started wondering what they were thinking. He describes that there is a fairly good view of the city. – But it is 100 km/h. If they had been a little further behind and I had been inattentive for two seconds, I would have run over one of the cars. Finally, in this video you can see the taxi Tord Corneliussen is driving in the right direction. Report from the following day During the week, Corneliussen works as a carpenter, but every other weekend he also drives a taxi for Os Taxi. On the weekend in November, he has already been at work for many hours. The car is full when he hits the three BMWs. – Once you have four lives in the car, you become quite sharp. Tord Corneliussen close to Endelausmarka where the three cars were parked. Photo: Benjamin Dyrdal / news Corneliussen describes that the passengers were also shocked. They didn’t think to report until they had passed the cars. As they had not caught the registration number in the dark, they decided to wait. – I thought it would be seen on camera and that there was nothing more we could do when we didn’t have the number, says Corneliussen. But next time he will call and let you know right away. One of the passengers in the taxi told news that she reported the incident to the police by e-mail a little later in the day on Saturday 5 November. news has seen the e-mail the police received. There, the passenger describes the situation, that it was dark and that they were so shocked that they could not register the number plates on the cars. This is how the three cars were when Tord Corneliussen came driving at 100km/h. Here is the turning operation in progress. Here are the cars heading towards the direction of travel. Have opened a criminal case – I was a little provoked when I saw the statement from the police that they did not know about the case before it appeared in the media, says the passenger to news. On Wednesday, police station chief in Bjørnafjorden, Oddbjørn Dyrdal, confirmed that they had already received a report about the incident on 5 November. – It was caught and I tackled it immediately when I became aware of it. Dyrdal says that the case was put aside on 10 November because it was not possible for them to verify the registration number based on the photo and video material they received from the Norwegian Road Administration. On 8 March, Dyrdal informed news that they were opening criminal proceedings. Police station chief in Bjørnafjorden, Oddbjørn Dyrdal. Photo: Ida Yasin Andersen / news One of the registration numbers must now be verified. Different camera angles and the quality of the recording means that they have not found the other two. The case is now being investigated further by the traffic section in the West police district in Bergen. – We hope to identify all the cars involved in this, says Atle Heradstveit in the traffic section in the West police district. He says that for the time being they have not been in contact with the owner of the car with the registration number that has been verified. – Insanely large damage potential The daily manager of Os Taxi, Tor Anders Hauge, describes the new road as “absolutely fantastic”. The company runs many hundreds of trips through the new tunnels in the course of a week. Hauge is not surprised that it was one of his drivers who came close to the situation. – It could soon happen again, because I drive there so often. The situation has become a topic of discussion among the employees. – I am completely shaken. There are some people who think this kind of driving is fun. I don’t think it’s funny, not in any way. Corneliussen hopes the three drivers will be signed. – They should become responsible doctors. They can’t drive like idiots and carry on like that there. That would be too stupid. He gets support from Dyrdal in the police. – We agree, however, that this is grave, serious behavior with an insanely large potential for damage. The police station chief is concerned that the road must not be perceived as a safe haven where one can drive fast or engage in risky sports as the three BMWs do. Tord Corneliussen says that he saw one of the BMWs backing up this ramp to the E39 towards the direction of travel. Photo: Benjamin Dyrdal / news When Corneliussen watches the video again, he shakes his head. – I am shocked every time I see it. We can’t have roads like this here if people are going to play like this. That would be too stupid. He is afraid that a fatal accident may occur. – 100 km/h versus 100 km/h? You will die then. Corneliussen suspects that the place where the three BMWs stopped was not accidental. Just in front of where they were standing, a notice is given that it costs NOK 55 to pass. – It must be the tolls, I can’t think of anything else. Just in front of these signs, the three cars were stationary in the 100 km/h zone. Photo: Benjamin Dyrdal / news
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– Shocking duck – news Vestland
