– I’m probably a bit over the top. Around three kilometers per hour over the border. Australian tourist Adam Nancarow admits that when he meets news at the ferry quay in Bodø. – But no more than that, he emphasizes, and adds that the speed limits are mostly the same in his home country. Foreign tourists like Nancarow flock to Northern Norway this summer. This naturally pleases the tourism and business world, but has also led to ferry chaos in Nordland, congested roads in Senja and a record number of cars in Lofoten. UP chief in Northern Norway, Geir Marthinsen, says that the police have noticed the influx of tourists. – Every third person we fine for driving over the speed limit this summer is from abroad. SCARY PASSING: – Here we have an incident that can quickly occur. This shows how important it is that other traffic does not drive over the speed limit, says UP chief Geir Marthinsen about this video clip from Meløy. – Constitutes a significant risk UP has previously warned about the driving behavior of tourists on holiday in Norway. Especially in smaller places that are attractive tourist destinations, such as at the far end of Lofoten, there are far more foreigners who are stopped at the UP checks. The same applies to places such as Senja in Troms and Nordkapp in Finnmark, according to Marthinsen. – The feedback from the patrols this year is that at certain controls more foreigners are actually fined than Norwegians. Chief of the Emergency Police in Northern Norway, Geir Marthinsen, is concerned about the behavior of several foreign drivers in Norway in the summer. Photo: Benjamin Fredriksen / news A total of 1,314 notices have been issued to tourists this summer. Marthinsen says that this is a trend that has increased in recent years. – Foreigners make up a large part of the traffic picture in the summer, who we see take a significant risk by driving at too high a speed. Have plenty of time and drive slowly The Australian tourist is clear when confronted with the UP chief’s concern about foreign drivers. – They have to stick to the speed limit, it doesn’t get any clearer, says Nancarow. He is impressed by the standard of Norwegian roads. – The speed limits are probably adapted to the road standard. 80–90 is probably right for the roads and tunnels here. Mat Frambach and the dog Lowie have driven in a motorhome all the way to Bodø and are waiting for the ferry across to Lofoten. Dutch Mat Frambach and dog Lowie sit in a ferry queue on their way to Lofoten. Photo: Johannes Sæheim Pedersen / news He tells news that he always stays within the speed limit. – I can’t say that I have any strong opinions about the Norwegian speed limits. We have plenty of time, so we drive slowly, says the Dutchman. – This applies not only in Norway, but in general. Not only in the north, UP has focused mostly on European roads, national roads and selected county roads during the checks this summer. And it is not just in the north that motorists are hard on the gas. This summer there is an increase in serious speeding offenses in Norway of 20 per cent from last year. This is shown by figures news has received from UP. – We have several examples of people who have been caught speeding twice. We have seen cases with 160 km/h in the 80 zone and 180 km/h in the 90 zone, says Marthinsen. The same increase applies to Northern Norway. – We don’t want that kind of activity on the roads. It is a threat to everyone who travels in traffic, states the UP chief. National UP figures for June and July During June and July, over 18,000 people drove too fast in Norway, figures from UP show. 1,546 have been reported for speeding offenses in the same period. Here is an overview of serious speeding violations registered in June and July 2024, per police district: Oslo: 33 East: 291 Inland: 149 South-East: 240 Agder: 37 South-West: 128 West: 115 Møre and Romsdal: 96 Trøndelag: 169 Nordland : 130 Troms: 117 Finnmark: 41 The figures for simplified notices for speeding offenses look like this: Oslo: 217 East: 2500 Inland: 1569 South-East: 2693 Agder: 918 South-West: 1615 West: 1910 Møre and Romsdal: 1082 Trøndelag : 1598 Nordland: 1841 Troms: 1408 Finnmark: 732 Svalbard: 1 (Source: Utrykningspolitiet) – Most behave well He reminds that high speed is one of the main causes of serious traffic accidents. During July, nine people died in traffic accidents, figures from the Norwegian Road Administration show. – We know that speed, intoxication and inattention are the most common causes. UP control in Nordland Photo: Emergency police Marthinsen is, however, happy that the vast majority drive with respect and behave well on the roads. – But there are too many who step over the border – and most of them are men. Published 13.08.2024, at 06.14
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Speed offenders drive even faster – in the north, one in three is from abroad – news Nordland
