Norway’s way

Dear Editor:

RE: ‘Cruel’ punishment, May 23.

I worked one year is Oslo, Norway in the 1980s. One week, I noticed Oddvar was missing. My colleagues told me, with much giggling and nudge-nudge, wink-winking, that he was on “vacation”.

Eventually I learned this means that he had been jailed one week for drunk driving. The limit there was about half of the current Canadian limit.

For a first offence, Norwegians received a hefty fine, a license suspension and a mandatory week in jail. So, drunk driving was a very rare thing. Designated drivers would have zero alcohol rather than risk a run-in with the law.

Perhaps we should consider this approach?

Ken Lancaster,
Rockwood