VZCZCXRO0497
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNY #0080 0411240
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101237Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0026
INFO ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS OSLO 000080 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON SOCI UNDP UNGA NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY: DISTRACTED DRIVING DEMARCHE DELIVERED 
 
REF: SECSTATE 06703 
 
¶1.  On February 8 PolOff provided Ministry of Transport (MoT) 
Deputy Director for Traffic Security and Emergency John Arild 
Jenssen reftel points and Pol LES confirmed with MoT Advisor Marcel 
Henri Godonou that the information collected by post on Norwegian 
cell phone use laws was correct and up-to-date.  No decision has 
been made on Norwegian attendance at the UN Road Safety 
Collaboration meeting in New York in March. 
 
Existing laws 
 
------------- 
 
 
 
¶2.  The GoN follows a 2000 law stating that that drivers of motor 
vehicles must not use mobile phones while driving unless the mobile 
phone is placed in an acceptably installed holder, i.e. mounted in 
the immediate vicinity of the wheel and as close to the driver's 
field of vision as practical.  Cell phone use is defined as "all 
operation of the mobile phone's keypad, calling, receiving calls 
and receiving or sending of messages or texts."  Norway does not 
have official statistics on cell phone use and traffic accidents. 
One report published in 2008 by the Norwegian Public Roads 
Administration (NPRA) details vehicular fatalities, injuries, and 
crashes, but cell phone use is left out of the study.  NPRA Chief 
Engineer Richard Muskaug told Pol LES February 5 that Norwegian 
police do not investigate cell phone usage prior to an accident 
because such use is difficult to detect. 
 
Nationwide Awareness Campaigns and Research 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3.  NPRA has not funded a nationwide awareness campaign concerning 
the dangers of cell phone use while driving.  In 2006 and 2008, 
radio channels provided commercial air time free of charge to the 
Norwegian Council for Road Safety on consequences of cell phone use 
while driving. 
 
¶4.  A study on the effectiveness of the 2000 law was presented in 
2008 by the Institute of Transport Economics.  In their report, 
called "Telephones in Traffic," they concluded that the Norwegian 
law on cell phone use was outdated and found that many people 
misunderstand or lacked awareness on using hands-free equipment in 
the car.  While the 2000 law requires drivers to install cell phone 
holders in the vehicle, it fails to address options provided by 
current Bluetooth technology.  According to an article on The 
Norwegian Council for Road Safety's website, the Ministry of 
Transportation has asked NPRA to assess existing regulations. 
According to the Ministry of Transportation the law will likely be 
revised sometime in the future. 
 
¶5. Data collected in 1996 by the Institute of Transport Economics 
showed that 51 percent of the population used cell phones while 
driving.  The study also showed that there were more males than 
females and younger people than older that used cell phones while 
driving.  A similar study from 1998 by the same research institute 
showed that 80 percent of drivers who were using cell phones while 
driving used handheld phones - and only 20 percent used hands free 
sets. 
 
Police Intensifying Efforts to Detect Cell Phone Use 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  The chief of the National Mobile Police Service Roar Skjelbred 
Olsen told Pol LES February 5 that the police have lately 
intensified their routine vehicle checks and use binoculars to see 
if drivers are using cell phones, resulting in an increased number 
of fines issued.  Over seventeen thousand fines were handed out in 
2009, a significant increase from the 12,832 fines served in 2008; 
each fine costs the driver USD 220. 
WHITE