Driving conditions

The ins and outs of running a vehicle

Driving conditions

Of the some 74,000 km of roads in Denmark, around 1,100 are motorways. There are no toll roads in Denmark, however, some of the bridges are subjects to tolls; notably the Øresund bridge.

Rules of the road

Most basically, the Danish drive on the right hand side of the road. However, there are some peculiarities of driving in Denmark and some rules that are common in most countries; such as, it is illegal to talk on a mobile phone whilst driving.

More unusually, pedestrians, cyclists and public transport have priority on Denmark’s roads; this reflects the attempts by policymakers to encourage fewer people to use privately owned vehicles, in favour of more ecological forms of transport.

Seat belts must be worn at all times by everyone in the car. It is also a requirement that you drive with your headlights on at all times (dipped during daylight hours) and you must have a warning triangle in your car in case of accident.

Speed limits:

  • 50 km in built up areas
  • 80 km on country roads
  • 110-130 on motorways

In Denmark the automobile association is the Forenede Danske Motorejere  (Federation of Danish Motorists), which was created in association with the auto magazine Motor. As of 2010 the federation had 238,000 members and offers technical and legal assistance to motorists.  

Over the last decade the number of road accidents resulting in fatality or injury has decreased, probably due to rigourous enforcement of driving laws.

Further reading

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