Be safe and considerate.
Many parts of Lofoten only have access with a single narrow road with many turns and wiggles. It is imperative you always drive on the right side of the road, even when there is no line in the middle!
Every year, MANY ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, because of lack of awareness.
To do:
- ALWAYS drive on the right side, there are no single way roads in Lofoten, all the roads without middle line are two way!
- When parking on the side of the road, please switch to parking lights, angles of the road often cause strong glare towards passing by vehicles.
- When parking, be aware of your surroundings and don’t block access, many houses sometimes share one road.
- REALLY, drive on the right side, always. Should you have to quickly move out of the way of opposite direction traffic, on a narrow two way road, there is much higher probability you will end up in the ditch!
- Keep much more distance from the cars in front of you. Many cars tend to break unexpectedly, you guessed it, they are often tourists, which did not expect something coming up after the next turn!
- Slow down if you don’t see the turn properly. Not all the sharp turns are labeled with warning yellow arrows and you will end up in the ditch as many others do every year.
Don’t:
- Wider places of the road labeled M are meeting points for two-way traffic on the narrow roads. Never park there.
- Don’t blink all yellow turn signals, like when you park temporarily in the wrong spot in the city, unless there is something wrong and you need help. People in Lofoten are used to helping each other, and when you blink, people will slow down and stare at you trying to determine your condition! Blink only one side instead, when you temporarily parked dangerously.
- Please, don’t block cars behind you, locals know the roads better than visitors, hence if you see more than 2 card behind you, let them pass.
Are you skilled and comfortable driving on icy roads? There are 3-10 accidents EVERY DAY in Lofoten during winter time.
- Don’t drive too fast, ice on the road might be there even when you can’t see it – so called “black ice”.
- Don’t drive too close to the orange sticks. They are usually placed approximately 30cm (1ft) out of the road!