By the end of April, all police cars in Norway will probably permanently use cruise or identification lights.
– We hope to get out a permanent exemption that will apply to all vehicles within one month, Section Manager at the Office for Vehicle Technology, Håkon Rosendahl, told DinSide earlier this week.
Oslo police have tried out using constant identification lights on five vehicles for just over a year after The Road Authority (Vegdirektoratet) gave a temporary permission in December 2014.
The test is considered successful, and the public has experienced this as positive, says Case Officer in the Police Directorate, Erling Fosse.
In the application to the Road Authority the police explain that they want to use identification lights to make patrols stand out particularly in suburban areas.
– This is for the public. On a dark Saturday night in Karl Johans gate one will, as an example, quickly see where police are located for whatever reason one want to contact the police.
Besides preventing noise and nuisance the public can easily locate us, Fosse stated.
In Sweden, the constant use of cruise lights was approved earlier this year. In Norway, police could probably follow suit no later than the first of May.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today