– We believe that enough is enough, and listen to the Emergency Police who want to import the scheme that Denmark has to punish so-called wild driving. That is what Storting representative Lene Westgaard-Halle (H) says. She believes that a number of incidents involving racing, including on the E18 between Lier and Drammen at the weekend, show that fines and confiscation of driving licenses are not enough. – The fact that we can simply take away people’s cars is a more effective tool than what we have today, she says. UP chief Knut Smedsrud has said that he hopes rough driving will decrease with a possible new law. Photo: Tordis Gauteplass / news Chief of the Towing Police The Towing Police (UP), Knut Smedsrud, has previously told news that he believes a new law that allows confiscation of the car itself should be considered in Norway. The rules are found in Denmark. Several hundred vehicles have been impounded there. Typical for speeding offenses where you drive 100 km/h over the speed limit, or have a blood alcohol level of over two. Spokesperson for justice policy in Høyre Sveinung Stensland believes that the Danish model can be introduced quite quickly in this country. – If the government wants to, it can put forward proposals on this at any time. We want to get this into the Conservative Party’s parliamentary program so that this is our policy if we get power in two years’ time. The proposal requires a legal basis and it must go through the justice committee and the Storting, but Stensland believes that it does not need to take long. Lene Westgaard-Halle parliamentary representative for the Conservative Party and Sveinung Stensland, parliamentary representative and justice policy spokesperson for the Conservative Party, want to take the car from rough drivers. Photo: Hans Kristian Thorbjørnsen Disagree with UP But not everyone agrees with the UP chief’s proposal to confiscate the car as punishment for reckless driving. Lawyer Vidar Lind-Iversen defends the young driver who is charged after the race on the E18 at the weekend. – I have registered that the director of police has expressed a desire to confiscate the cars of those who drive so and so fast. I think that is a bad proposal, says Lind-Iversen. – It probably has a preventive effect, for most of the young boys who like to drive fast, that they can lose their driving licence, he adds. The bridge over the E18 was packed with spectators who were going to watch the race. Photo: The police – Little constructive proposal The proposal does not go down well with the robbers either. Sonja Brandtzæg has herself been part of the robber milieu in the Drammen district since the age of 13, and thinks it is both childish and selfish to race on the motorway. But she believes there are other and better proposals than confiscating the cars. – In a way, it becomes a double penalty if they both lose the tag and lose the car. Sonja Brandtzæg believes that young people under the age of 24 should not be allowed to drive the fittest cars. She proposes similar rules as with heavy motorcycles. Photo: Kate Barth-Nilsen / news These are young people who should rather get an apprenticeship and not also have to struggle with a large debt on the car for many years, she adds. Rather, Brandtzæg proposes the same rules as for obtaining a driver’s license for a heavy motorcycle. – If they have to wait until they turn 24 before they can drive fast cars with 5-600 horsepower, then it will have an effect. Then you are more mature and have had your driving license for a while. She points out that as an 18-year-old you are allowed to drive cars that can go very fast, while you only get a license for a light motorcycle with up to 125cc when you are 16 to 18 years old. And have to wait with the ticket for heavy motorcycles until you are 24. Open to discuss other measures This proposal has not been up for discussion in Norway, but we are open to discussing most things we, says Westgaard-Halle about the input to Brandtzæg. But she points out that the challenge of rough driving is about everyone, regardless of age. – Fast is fast, regardless of how old you are. UP believes confiscating the car can be a good tool and we support that, says Westgaard-Halle. The man who is charged after this weekend’s race on the E18 admits negligent driving, speeding and not having stopped for the police, according to his defender Vidar Lind-Iversen. The driver regrets what he has done, he adds.
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The Conservative Party believes it is urgent to come up with new rules that make it possible to confiscate the cars of illegal drivers – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
