3.3.12

Norwegian rule of law is up against physical laws

Speeding vs. uncertainty
The Norwegian rule of law has a high reputation internationally (as a native Norwegian  this was part of my ground school education). I am still pretty sure that this is generally true but I have found that Norway, like all other countries, have its own ideosyncrasies. We too have special laws and very strong reactions to behavior that in other nations would be described as minor misbehaviors.
One of these special areas has to do with speeding. Our speeding limits are the lowest in Europe, our fines are the largest (by a big margin) and we are the only country in Europe where you may be put in jail speeding offenses (check www.roadmc.com/speeding on this).
What I did not realize, however, was this:
Norwegian traffic police have for more than thirty years, despite warnings, used a method of speed measurement that has made thousands of drivers lose their license and put some of them to jail when they in fact only should pay a fine smaller than the fine they were forced to pay.
Here is my story:
This year, I was stopped by a civil police car in a "measured speed" of 111.29 km/h in an 80km/h zone (69mph in 50mph) (this was a follow by car measurement performed in the dark, after sunset).
The result? NOK 7800 ($1400) to pay.
5 kilometers more would have ruined my license, 10 kilometers more would have sent me to jail for three weeks (Norwegian jails are very comfortable though :)
For anyone with a Norwegian passport this should come as no surprise, we are all extremely proud of belonging to the richest and most happy country on this earth.
What shocked me, however, was the fact that the police did not include any kind of scientific uncertainty in their measurements. Even more shocking was the fact that this is according to official Norwegian rules.
Norway is not especially known for its respect of knowledge - we are better at winter sports - but all the same it comes as a surprise that Norwegian law has precedence for known physical laws.

Below is my letter to the Norwegian Ministry of Police (Politidirektoratet) on this incidence.
It shows, without doubt, that their methods of measurement are out of touch with any reality (in Norwegian).


Jeg ble den 12. februar stoppet av politiet under en forbikjøring på E6 syd for Hamar. Forelegget anga en hastighet av 111.29 km/t.Forelegget ble vedtatt på stedet siden jeg antok at en tilstrekkelig sikkerhetsmargin var trukket. Min forbauselse var stor da jeg erfarte at det kun var lagt inn en sikkerhetsmargin på 20 meter under utmåling av distanse. Dette utgjør i mitt tilfelle en reduksjon i anmeldt hastighet på 1.11 km/t, dvs. en reduksjon på mindre enn 1%.Denne margin er klart lavere enn de marginer som fremkommer på bakgrunn av elementær måletknikk. En måling som dette blir utført ved en beregning ut fra fire manuelt bestemte målepunkter: Start og stopp for både distanse og tid. I tillegg kommer usikkerhet ved ansalg av den angitte sikkerhetsmargin på 20 meter i utkjørt distanse og unøyaktigheter i kalibrering av måleinstrumentene.Ved manuelle målinger som dette bør en antagelig innberegne en usikkerhet på ±1 sekund.Jeg vedlegger et regneark som viser effekten av 4 forskjellige sikkerhetsmarginer på en gjennomsnitts mobil fartsmåling. De konkretre tall viser min forseelse, men dere står fritt til å legge inn andre eksempler.De fire forskjellige marginer er: 0.1s - 0.2s - 0.5s - 1.0s - 2.0s

 

Resultatet viser klart den usikkerhet som dagens målemetoden er belastet med. Svært mange bilister blir idag straffet for forseelser de ikke har begått. Svært mange risikerer inndragelse av førerkort for det samme. Det fremstår klart at gjeldende forskrift ikke tar høyde for elementære måletekniske beregninger.Forskriften tilsier videre at hastighet skal måles over en avstand av minimum 100 meter. I et slikt tilfelle vil innlagt sikkerhetsmargin være relativt større men likevel oppveies av ekstremt stor usikkerhet ved selve målingen.Mine beregninger inneholder ikke unøyaktigheter som alltid er forbundet med et måleinstrument, inkludering av disse vil umiddelbart øke mine anslag over usikkerheten i politiets målinger.
Jeg understreker også at jeg ikke har faglig kompetanse til å kunne fastslå normal usikkerhetsfordelingnår det gjelder tidtaking, mitt anslag på 1 sekund over er derfor et konservativt anslag.Jeg ber derfor om at de faguttalelser, inkludert kalibrering av måleinstrumenter og antagelser  om menneskelig reaksjonsevne, som ligger til grunn for dagens forskrift legges frem.Dagens forskrift med kun innlagt fratrekk i distanse medfører at et stort antall bilister uriktig  vil kunne straffes med for store forelegg og eventuell inndragelse av førerkort uten at forseelsen kan anses som sannsynliggjort.Jeg foreslår at dagens praksis erstattes med utmåling av full distanse og et fast prosentvis trekk i målt hastighet.Politiets praksis i saker som dette kan utgjøre en trussel mot norsk retssikkerhet. Jeg imøteser et grundig og raskt svar på det problemet jeg her fremstiller.Intet ville glede meg mer enn at mine antagelser og beregninger ikke medfører riktighet.

Jeg ser frem til et raskt og overbevisende svar.
I am sorry, this is all in Norwegian.

You may see the the proof here (PDF, Norwegian version)
Stay tuned to the proceedings!

24 comments:

  1. Hi Terje,

    Did you receive an answer to your letter?

    Denis

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, I got several answers. But none answered my questions. Their argument was that this method had been in use since the 50's and was standard procedure. After months I had to give up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why paying if you know you are right? Just go seek legal advice...I mean, physics is not opinable not even by them...their riddiculous speed limits are though

      Delete
    2. *speed measurement systems...better said

      Delete
  3. Fantastic argument! :) I think with such argument you could get them to the court. ... Maybe it would be better not a Norwegian one :)
    Denis

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank goodness I don't live in Norway.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello. In 2010 I did my driving license in Romania BE, CE, DE categories and then I settled in Norway. In 2015 I changed my Romanian license to the Norwegian one, and in 2016 my license was suspended when I was cought with manual radar at 01:00 o'clock having 116 km / h on a section of the E39 motorway that goes through Stavanger where it was a sign of 70 km / h So I got over the speed of 46 km / h I was told from Statens Vegvesen that I had to pass all the exams in Norway to reclaim my Norwegian license. I do not speak Norwegian and to take the CE and DE categories you have to take exams only in Norwegian (In another language you can not) And to do the BE you can take it also in English ( but I do not understand English enough to do theoretical exam on computer) I have 3 questions. 1) It's normal to take the theoretical and practical exams in Norway because my Norwegian license to suspended for 12 months because I have exceeded the speed of 46 km / h on a highway that runs through a city and where there are no pedestrian or school passages, or any other 'danger'? Can I appeal against it in Norway or in Romania? 2) Can I recover my Romanian license that I have changed to Norwegian one? 3) If I can not recover my Romanian licence which was changed to a Norwegian licence and suspended in Norway can I take exams in Romania in my Romanian native language to have the Romanian licence? In Romania if you have more then 50 km/h your licence is suspended for 90 days and then given back without you to do any kind of exams. I am now thinking of giving up Norway. I want to be allowed again to be able to drive everywhere.
    Thanks for any answers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. of course you can, you are Romanian...I guess you know how to convince people ;) your change of driver license is registered in Romania?

      Delete
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