Norway winter tire warning and icy road conditions, Digi Mart USA News (Southeast Norway): Drivers should have switched to winter tires when heading onto the roads in early November, police warned. Police in the Sør-Øst police district, one of Norway’s largest, said anyone still driving on summer tires should leave the car at home.
The first winter frost hit Norwegian roads on Friday morning, creating slippery and demanding driving conditions. The district covers everything from the high mountains of Hemsedal to the coastal cities of Vestfold and the archipelago near Kragerø.
“We have had some skids during the morning. It is terribly slippery,” said Ståle Fuglaas, operations leader for the police.
He said he had counted three skids during his shift, which had begun about an hour before he spoke with VG.
Fuglaas said there were no serious traffic accidents, but conditions were very demanding. A combination of fog and large temperature swings made the roads unpredictable.
He said he commutes himself, and when temperatures move from plus two to minus six degrees Celsius, driving conditions become difficult.
He noted that road conditions vary widely, and bare asphalt can quickly turn into glossy, icy patches. “If you are driving at 110 on bare road on the main road, you may not get the response you want when you enter the next curve,” he said.
Police reported several serious traffic accidents over the previous day, though not all were caused by slippery roads. Innlandet police district reported at 7:45 a.m.
that two cars had collided at Stange, with both drivers reported to be out of their vehicles. Police logged that the location was very slippery and emergency services were on the way.
When VG spoke with the Vegtrafikksentralen traffic center for Region East before 8 a.m. Friday, it had received few complaints about slippery roads, apart from one location in Aurskog-Høland near a lake where fog had settled.
Traffic operator Mette Brunæs said the roads had otherwise been quiet and that crews were salting where needed, including in Asker and Bærum, and had been out salting many places overnight. She said main roads were not a problem, but conditions were not extraordinary.
“We are talking about November, and people must be aware that it can be slippery. I hope people have winter tires,” Brunæs said.
Region South had not reported many slippery roads during the morning either. Traffic operator Svein-Harald Masterød said nothing special had been heard so far, but that less-traveled roads were slippery in many places.
He noted humid weather around zero or just below minus, so there was reason for caution.
Insurer Frende Forsikring also issued a warning for the coming days. In a press release Friday morning, the company said night frost was expected in many parts of the country over the weekend, and that fine autumn weather often brings lower temperatures, especially at night.
It warned that driving on the wrong tires the following morning could be life-threatening.
