If a tourist rents a car in Norway anytime between the first day of November and the first day of April, that vehicle needs to have the proper set of wheels. Winter tyres in Norway are supposed to offer the insurance of metal studs. Equipped with such tires, a tourist can travel all the way to the boundary between Norway and Finland.
Now the reader might be a bit confused by the claim printed above. The reader might well be thinking “Doesn’t the country of Sweden lie between Norway and Finland?” Well, the answer is “yes,” but not at a point above the artic circle. In that cold, rather isolated and far-northern region of the world, Norway’s northernmost boundary touches Finland’s northernmost border.
As might be expected, that region of the world does not see a great deal of sunlight during the winter months. Therefore, any tourist that chooses to drive around Norway in the wintertime had better use his or her headlights. The men and women who patrol Norway’s highways are always on the lookout for those drivers that fail to turn on their headlights.
Norway has an abundance of winding roads, and the country’s lawmakers are well aware of that fact. Therefore, drivers in Norway should make a point of buckling up before they give their studded tyres a try. However, no driver should think that he or she can look to alcohol as the perfect way to deal with the extra low temperatures.
According to Norwegian laws, the person behind the wheel of a car should have a blood alcohol level that is no greater than 0.02%. So, if you are a winter tourist in Norway, and you plan to stop and view the country’s beautiful scenery, then you had better carry some warm winter clothing with you.
If you arrive to Norway without winter tyres on your car and you need to buy or rent them locally, they are called “vinterdekk” in Norwegian.