You may have heard of the parable of the Good Samaritan, a person who helps a stranger in trouble, expecting nothing in return. With the cold winters and many remote areas in Norway, getting assistance quickly can be a matter of life or death.
As in many countries, helping one’s fellow human is simply considered the right thing to do. But in Norway, it is not just a matter of virtue– everyday Norwegians are legally obligated to help their fellow humans in distress or danger, in a law called bistandsplikt – the duty of care. According to the Store Norske Leksikon (snl.no), “anyone who fails to help a person who is in obvious danger of losing their life or suffering significant damage to their body or health can be punished with a fine or imprisonment for up to 6 months.“
Norway’s hjelpeplikten ved traffikkuhell, the obligation to help in the event of a traffic accident, requires all Norwegian drivers to stop and render aid to people and animals at the scene of a crash. Drivers can incur fines and even lose their license if they pass an accident without helping out.
In January, perhaps the most dramatically Norwegian example of hjelpeplikten played out in the nation’s capital. A couple was on a date and parked their Tesla along the harbor to enjoy the view of sunset over the Oslofjord.
Everything went awry when the driver inadvertently hit the accelerator while thinking he was in park. The car shot over a barrier into the fjord, and rapidly began to sink. The panicked occupants managed to exit the vehicle, treading the icy January waters, and scrambling onto the car’s roof.
Having watched the improbable scene unfold from afar, a guest on a nearby mobile sauna alerted skipper Nicholay Nordahl to the emergency, who hastily set course for the distressed couple. Just as the car had submerged completely, sauna-goers wearing towels hauled the drenched and shivering motorists out of the water. Thankfully, the rescuers could immediately warm up the pair by placing them in the sauna.
