Skip to main content

Norway plans self-driving car tests on public roads

The Norwegian Government is to consult on a proposal for a new law that would allow self-driving vehicles on the country’s roads, with the aim of passing the bill in the spring of 2017. The objective is to facilitate the testing of self-driving vehicles on Norwegian roads by the public within the framework of traffic safety while protecting the integrity of personal information. By allowing the public to test self-driving vehicles in Norway, the Government hopes to facilitate the development and testing
January 5, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Norwegian Government is to consult on a proposal for a new law that would allow self-driving vehicles on the country’s roads, with the aim of passing the bill in the spring of 2017. The objective is to facilitate the testing of self-driving vehicles on Norwegian roads by the public within the framework of traffic safety while protecting the integrity of personal information.

By allowing the public to test self-driving vehicles in Norway, the Government hopes to facilitate the development and testing of new technologies in Norway and keep Norwegian technology companies competitive.

The government plans to gradually introduce self-driving vehicles. Only technologically mature systems will be approved for testing, with the purpose of understanding the effects self-driving vehicles have on traffic safety, traffic efficiency and mobility – and what impact they will have on the environment. The consultation explains how an application process could be set up to issue permits to persons or companies that wish to test out this new technology on Norwegian roads. The consultation also suggests conditions for approving such permits.

Related Content

  • June 20, 2016
    Regulating rural road use
    David Crawford looks at problems facing indigenous communities and those unfamiliar with driving in rural areas. While it is well known that the fatality rate for road crashes in rural areas is higher than in towns and cities, some groups suffer far more than others. For instance, the rates of death and serious injury from vehicle accidents is much higher for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI and AN) populations living in rural tribal lands than for any of the country’s other ethnic populations. Crashes
  • May 16, 2017
    Report: Managing the transition to driverless road freight transport
    The International Transport Forum, in partnership with the International Road Transport Union (IRU), the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) is working on a project which examines the impact of driverless trucks. It focuses on developments in Europe and North America, with some evidence drawn from other continents, such as automated trains and mining equipment in Australia. The aim is to consider whether driverless road freight trans
  • March 1, 2023
    “For a city to be loveable, the car has to be a guest”: EmpowerWISM winner Kari Anne Solfjeld Eid
    Kari Anne Solfjeld Eid, founder of e-cargo bike subscription service Whee!, has won the Empower Women in Shared Mobility 2023 programme. She tells Adam Hill how to make cities loveable…
  • March 26, 2018
    PTV to assist in developing model for driverless transport in Oslo
    PTV’s MaaS Modeller will assist consultancy firm Cowi in developing a model for driverless transport in Oslo on behalf of Norwegian transport authority Ruter. The project aims to understand the implications of new forms of transport and trends brought about by technology such as autonomous vehicles. Through the agreement, Cowi will identify potential opportunities, risks and implications for urban and transport planning in the city as well as in the Akershus county that may arise from new mobility trends.