It’s always an adventure to drive in a new place. But driving in a new country is something even more interesting!
In Norway, we drive on the right side of the road, just like in the states. But there are many things that are different. Here’s a look at some of what we’ve become accustomed to…
Roundabouts (or rotaries) are quite common here. While they are not terribly confusing, they took some time to learn!
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| This picture shows the entrance into a large rotary. The signs above let you know what lies in each direction, and which lane you should be in. As you enter the roundabout: signal right if you plan to take the first right (for example here, the E18 freeway to Oslo) Don’t signal if you plan to take the roundabout exit that is straight ahead (for example, Kilen) Signal left if you plan to go three-quarters around and take the exit that is to the left (in this case, Sentrum S, or the South side of downtown) As you are about to exit the roundabout, you should signal right. |
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| This is as you are just about to enter the roundabout. The blue sign lets you know it’s a roundabout. And you always have to yield to cars already in the roundabout. |
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| The blue arrow lets you know that the road is dividing, and which direction you should go. This is especially helpful when there is a lot of snow! |
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| You are entering a No Passing Zone. |
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| This sign lets you know you are leaving the no pass zone. Anytime you see the sign all in gray with the diagonal lines, it means you’re leaving that particular zone (could be no passing, or a speed limit, etc.) |
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| Pedestrian Sign – these are important!! Pedestrians have the right-of-way at all crosswalks, unless it is controlled by a traffic light. You must stop, so you always need to be looking to the sides of the street as you approach a crosswalk. |
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| This indicates a 60 kph speed zone. Currently, Norway’s highest allowed speed is 100 (on some portions of the freeway/E18). |
Our biggest learning curve came with the yellow diamond, seen below. If you see this sign, it means you’re on a main road. You have the right of way and do not have to yield to traffic from other roads. Okay, that isn’t a problem. But when you don’t have the yellow diamond, you must yield to roads on your right. So if a car is coming from the road on the right, you have to stop and let them out. This one was strange for us!
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| Ah, the yellow diamond. This is the one that confused us the most as we learned to drive here! |
These seem pretty much like ones I have seen in Romania. There is one though, like the yellow diamond that can be quite confusing. It's a yellow sign (maybe even a diamond!) that has a bold black arrow pointing left and a less pronounced arrow going straight. It means that left turning drivers have the right of way! Could potentially cause a lot of problems if you missed it. And I have been traveling more than a few times when someone has had to slam on brakes for someone stepping out of the crosswalk 🙂