Do you save money at toll booths with dirty plates?

Increasingly often, cars pass through Norwegian toll rings that cannot be read automatically because they are so dirty. A few are so dirty they cannot be read manually either. In that case, the toll passage is free.

However, you cannot deliberately dirty your license plate and thereby grant yourself a significant discount at the toll ring without risk of anyone reacting. All cars must have easily visible license plates. A missing plate results in a simplified fine of 2,000 kroner.

If the police believe you have deliberately made your plate unreadable, you may face a fine. This fine does not have a fixed rate, but police say it will likely be at the same level as driving without plates. It is important to note that you can be reported and receive a fine that ends up in your criminal record. This can therefore become more serious than receiving a simplified fine.

Toll companies lose a lot of money on plates that cannot be read. Vegfinans E18 Vestfold has only two toll stations, but had 38,000 passages where they could not read the registration number. Additionally, manual reading leads to a lot of extra work. Keeping your plates reasonably clean can actually save society quite a bit of money.

Source: <a href="http://www.nrk.no/vestfold/kjorer-du-rundt-slik_-1.12214071">NRK</a>