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Norway teen loses licence over Facebook joyride

The Local Norway
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Norway teen loses licence over Facebook joyride
The teen filmed himself driving twice the speed limit through the Sørdal Tunnel. Photo: Blue Elf/WikiCommons"

A young Norwegian probably thought he would gain a lot of ‘likes’ from his video of speeding through a tunnel. Instead, it cost him his driving licence.

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The teenager has had his licence revoked after posting a video to Facebook that showed him barreling through a tunnel at 160 kmh, a local police inspector told Lofotposten.  
 
“A male motorist under the age of 20 was driving westward in the Sørdal Tunnel when he filmed his own driving with a handheld mobile phone. He then posted the video to social media,” Asbjørn Sjølie said. 
 
Police contacted the teen after becoming aware of the video and he admitted his transgression. His driving licence was confiscated and he may face additional charges.  
 
The inspector said that the dangers of the young man’s stunt could not be overstated. 
 
“It’s difficult to find strong enough words to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, but there was clearly a lacking understanding of the types of consequences that could have arisen from this type of driving,” Sjølie said. 
 
“The driver was going 160 kilometres per hour in the tunnel according to his own speedometer at the same time that he was filming. One hand was holding the phone. It is outright frightening,” he added. 
 
Sjølie said that young people need to understand that dangerous situations are not “entertainment” or fodder for harvesting likes on social media. 
 
The Sørdal Tunnel is a 6.3 km tunnel, making it the longest on the Lofoten Mainland Connection (Lofast). The posted speed limit is 80 kmh. 

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