Frozen salmon can create icy roads

Large quantities of frozen fish are transported on Norwegian roads daily. During transport, some of the ice keeping the fish cold melts and runs out of the truck, often on curves and hills. If the road is cold enough, this water freezes into ice, creating an extremely slippery road surface.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration says they have been aware for many years that salmon trucks cause slippery roads. The question many are now asking is whether this also causes more accidents on these roads.

One of the roads most frequented by trucks carrying frozen fish in Norway is Fv. 714, which is even called the Salmon Road on the Public Roads Administration’s website. In recent days, several news outlets have focused on traffic safety on this road, asking whether the increased number of accidents could be due to ice on the road from the trucks.

The solution to the problem is tanks that collect the meltwater, which costs about NOK 20,000 to install on a vehicle.

Regardless, this is a small reminder for us that certain roads and certain sections can be extremely slippery. It’s wise to keep an extra eye on the road when there’s risk of frost, even when the weather is dry.