“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Unknown

A country’s traditions and laws often reflect its social values, revealing them in everyday life. As a Minnesota native visiting Norway last October, I found much that felt familiar.

As expected, Norwegians are nature lovers, punctual, reserved at first, enthusiastic coffee drinkers, and prone to enjoying weekends in simple cabins. What struck me as different was how diligently Norwegians obey the speed limits.

Our leader is normally an “assertive” driver, viewing speed limits as suggestions. But on this trip, his first instruction to our group was “no speeding.”

Unlike in Minnesota or the United States, obeying the speed limit in Norway is taken seriously. Penalties depend on the speed, the posted limit, and the driver’s circumstances.

Minor or moderate speeding usually results in a fixed fine. These fines are high by international standards, and foreign drivers are held to the same rules as locals.

The amount depends on how fast you were going and what the speed limit was. For example, speeding by 0.6-3.1 miles per hour (mph) over the limit in a 31-mph zone will cost you $123.60.

And if you were going 7-9 mph over the limit, you’d receive two demerit points. Accumulating eight points in a three-year period results in a 6-month license suspension.

Severe speeding violations can bring up to 15 days in jail in addition to a fine. Unsurprisingly, we rarely exceeded the limit, and our rental car beeped whenever we started to speed.

One upside to strict enforcement of speed limits is safety. The fatality rate in Norway is only 0.32 deaths per one hundred million vehicle miles traveled. In the United States, it’s 1.19.

The Shot

On October 12, I was near Åndalsnes, known as the “Alpine town by the fjord.” It was our first break after days of steady clouds and rain.

The clearing storm brought dazzling crepuscular rays radiating from the mountains in the distance. We launched our drones, selecting an interesting patch of fall color on the left for our foreground. After several hurried shots, the air cleared along with the compelling reason for the image.

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus Zenfolio | Chuck Derus