Driving a car is prohibited if you have been drinking alcohol, taking strong drugs or taking other intoxicants. Driving while intoxicated poses a great risk to the driver, passengers, other road users and the environment. For this reason, there are strict regulations and severe penalties in Norway.
If you've been drinking all evening, there is a high risk of it the next morning the amount of alcohol in the blood exceeds this legal limit
The maximum amount of alcohol in the blood is 0,2 per mille. Driving a car or other vehicle is prohibited if you have 0,2 per mille of alcohol in your blood or more. If you drink a glass of wine or a bottle of beer (0,33 l), you will exceed this limit. If you have been drinking all evening, there is a high risk that your blood alcohol level will exceed the legal limit the next morning. If you drive a car under under the influence of alcohol, you can usually lose your driving license for some time. In case of repeated or particularly serious cases, there is also the risk of losing the right to drive forever.
What if you are under the influence of intoxicants other than alcohol or are taking drugs that stimulate the central nervous system or sedate
Driving a car is also forbidden when you are under the influence of intoxicants other than alcohol or if you are taking medications that stimulate the central nervous system or sedate.
This applies to the following substances:
drugs marked with a red triangle (can be as innocent as cough syrup)
narcotic substances.
The police are responsible for controlling whether drivers are under the influence of intoxicants
The police are responsible for checking whether drivers are under the influence of drugs. If tests show that you have 0,2 per mille or more in your blood or are under the influence of other drugs or medications, the police will take away your driving license. You will then lose your driving license. Additionally, you must pay a fine/fine. Penalty rates for these violations are high and are based on the driver's monthly salary. Typically, this penalty will range from 1 to 1,5 months' gross salary. Driving under the influence of drugs (alcohol or other drugs) may be punishable by imprisonment. You also risk penalties if you are the owner car or you are responsible for it and you let a drunk person drive your car.
– As a reminder, in Norway we have three different alcohol limits:
car: 0,2 ‰ (for drivers of motor vehicles such as cars, mopeds or motorbikes)
boat: 0,8 ‰ (recreational boats and small boats less than 15 meters in length)
ships: 0,2 ‰ (ships over 15 meters in length)
