Oslo, Jan 2 Norway's transport minister has this week raised the alarm after a spike in deaths on the country's roads in 2025.
According to preliminary figures released by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration on Thursday, 111 people died on Norwegian roads in 2025. This represented an increase of 24 from the previous year, when 87 fatalities were registered.
"There are far too many people who lose their lives on our roads, and I am very concerned about the developments we are seeing," Norway's Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygard said in a statement, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Accident analyses by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration show that high speeds, intoxication, inattention, and risky behavior are the most common causes of fatal crashes.
While final figures for serious injuries have not yet been confirmed, the agency estimates that the combined number of deaths and serious injuries in road traffic in 2025 is more than 600.
Of the 111 deaths recorded in 2025, 94 were men and 17 were women. These individuals included 10 pedestrians, 11 cyclists, and two e-scooter riders. Meanwhile, a total of 25 people died on motorcycles, light motorcycles, or mopeds.
The summer months saw the highest number of deaths, with 18 fatalities in June and 16 in July, according to the figures.
Since 2001, Norway has been attempting to implement a "zero vision": no fatalities or serious injuries on the roads. Its National Transport Plan 2025-2036 sets out the goal that by 2030, there will be a maximum of 350 people either killed or seriously injured in road traffic, with a maximum of 50 deaths.
In December last year, the Norwegian government announced that it is preparing new measures to improve safety for electric scooter (e-scooter) users, following a sharp increase in accidents.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the number of injuries resulting from e-scooter accidents in the capital city of Oslo has nearly doubled compared to last year.
"Too many people have been badly injured on e-scooters in recent years. We are now starting work on concrete measures to bring down the number of accidents," Norway's Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygard said in a release.
One of the proposals under consideration is raising the minimum age limit for riding e-scooters. The current limit, set at 12 years in 2022, has not prevented a high incidence of injuries among children, who are seen as particularly vulnerable due to their lack of traffic experience. "With the accident trend we are seeing now, it is absolutely necessary to consider a higher age limit," Nygard said.
The government also intends to crack down on the sale of illegal e-scooters. While the legal speed limit for e-scooters in Norway is 20 km/h, commercial actors continue to sell models capable of much higher speeds. The minister warned that such e-scooters cannot be insured, leaving riders exposed to legal penalties and significant liability claims in the event of a crash.
To protect pedestrians, the ministry plans to make it easier for municipalities to ban e-scooter riding on sidewalks. It has asked the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to establish specific signage that local authorities can use to prohibit sidewalk riding in problematic areas while keeping roadways open.
Furthermore, the government is calling for stricter enforcement of existing rules. Nygard stated that he has requested the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to increase inspections and collaborate more closely with the police to target speeding, intoxication, and the use of illegal e-scooters.
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