Report on collision between a concrete mixer lorry and a van on county road Fv. 40 at Uvdal on 8 November 2024
Road traffic report 2025/03
The accident on 8 November 2024 on county road Fv. 40 at Uvdal, involving a concrete mixer lorry and a van, occurred when the lorry skidded in a bend, spun on the carriageway and overturned onto the van. The passenger in the van was killed in the accident. The road had been salted up to about 400 metres before the bend, but salting was interrupted due to a technical fault with the salt spreader. The investigation has shown that friction in the bend was very low at the time of the accident, and that the carriageway was covered in patches by a thin, invisible layer of ice (black ice). The road owner and the contractor were both aware the road was slippery prior to the accident, but ordinary road users were not warned. The investigation points to the importance of road administrations having risk contingency plans for their road network, and that they ensure good cooperation with their contractors in handling unforeseen events.
The speed limit at the location was 70 km/h, and the concrete mixer lorry's speed was 10–20 km/h below the limit when it skidded in the bend. The lorry driver saw no indication that the bend in the road was slippery, so the change in road conditions came as a surprise. The NSIA considers that the driver had adapted their speed according to their understanding of the situation and as expected of a professional driver, taking into account both the road conditions and the bend.
The contractor had measured road friction along the stretch of road, including the accident site, earlier that morning. Based on the measurements, the contractor implemented maintenance operations in the form of salting the section of road. The road had been salted up to about 400 metres before the bend, but salting was interrupted due to a technical fault with the salt spreader.
The investigation has shown that the contractor had no procedures describing the actions to be taken in the event of unforeseen interruptions to winter maintenance operations. The NSIA considers that such procedures could have facilitated a faster resumption of salting. Possible measures could have included manual operation of the salt spreader, warning road users, or calling in backup staff to prepare another available spreader lorry.
The road owner and the contractor were both aware the road was slippery prior to the accident. The road owner therefore chose to notify the school bus service. The NSIA regards it as positive that the county council combined its role as road owner and it’s responsibility for transport services. However, the NSIA believes that, in this instance, ordinary road users should have also been warned.
Warning sign 116 ‘glatt kjørebane’ (slippery road surface) in combination with sub-sign 808.151 ‘slutt på saltet veg’ (end of salted road) could have been used. The investigation has shown, however, that the option of using this sign combination in the event of interruptions to winter maintenance operations is little known or practised. One of the reasons for this may be that it has not been normal practice to warn road users of changes in road conditions. Another reason may be that the process for using such temporary sign combinations is perceived as complex and unclear.
It is important that road administrations have risk contingency plans for their road network, and that they ensure good cooperation with their contractors in handling unforeseen events. Road administrations must ensure the existence of a contingency plan and/or a general traffic warning plan for winter maintenance operations, including an associated signage plan.
In this instance, salting ceased due to a technical fault with the spreader lorry. The change in road conditions was not visible to road users and occurred without warning. The investigation nevertheless identifies some general learning points for road users about being prepared for local variations in road conditions.
The NSIA submits three safety recommendations following this investigation.
The accident site. Photo: NPRA
Published 16.10.2025
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation Road No 2025/10T
The accident on 8 November 2024 on county road Fv. 40 at Uvdal, involving a concrete mixer lorry and a van, occurred when the lorry skidded in a bend, spun on the carriageway and overturned onto the van. The road had been salted up to about 400 metres before the bend, but salting was interrupted due to a technical fault with the salt spreader. The investigation has shown that friction in the bend was very low at the time of the accident, and that the carriageway was covered in patches by a thin, invisible layer of ice (black ice).
The contractor had no procedures describing the actions to be taken in the event of unforeseen interruptions to winter maintenance operations. Such procedures could have facilitated a faster resumption of salting. Possible measures could have included manual operation of the salt spreader, warning road users, or calling in backup staff to prepare another available spreader lorry.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that Nordic Road Services AS establishes procedures for handling unforeseen interruptions to winter maintenance operations.
Safety recommendation Road No 2025/11T
The accident on 8 November 2024 on county road Fv. 40 at Uvdal, involving a concrete mixer lorry and a van, occurred when the lorry skidded in a bend, spun on the carriageway and overturned onto the van. The road had been salted up to about 400 metres before the bend, but salting was interrupted due to a technical fault with the salt spreader. The investigation has shown that friction in the bend was very low at the time of the accident, and that the carriageway was covered in patches by a thin, invisible layer of ice (black ice).
The change in road conditions came as a surprise to the driver of the concrete mixer lorry. The road owner and the contractor were both aware of the slippery road surface prior to the accident, but road users were not warned. Road users can be warned of interruptions to winter maintenance work and sudden changes in road conditions through the use of temporary signage. A signage plan would then need to be approved by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. The investigation has shown that neither Buskerud County Council nor the contractor had developed a general roadwork safety plan or contingency plan for winter maintenance operations, including an associated signage plan.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that Buskerud County Council ensures the existence of a plan for handling unforeseen events in winter maintenance operations.
Safety recommendation Road No 2025/12T
The accident on 8 November 2024 on county road Fv. 40 at Uvdal, involving a concrete mixer lorry and a van, occurred when the lorry skidded in a bend, spun on the carriageway and overturned onto the van. The road had been salted up to about 400 metres before the bend, but salting was interrupted due to a technical fault with the salt spreader. The investigation has shown that friction in the bend was very low at the time of the accident, and that the carriageway was covered in patches by a thin, invisible layer of ice (black ice).
Road users can be warned of interruptions to winter maintenance work and sudden changes in road conditions through the use of temporary signage. A signage plan would then need to be approved by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. The investigation has shown that neither Buskerud County Council nor the contractor had developed a general roadwork safety plan or contingency plan for winter maintenance operations, including an associated signage plan. The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority believes that the findings uncovered in the investigation may also be applicable to other road administrations. It is important that road administrations have risk contingency plans for their road network, and that they ensure good cooperation with their contractors in handling unforeseen events.
- The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Public Roads Administration ensures the existence of a plan for handling unforeseen events in maintenance operations.
- The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Nye Veier AS ensures the existence of a plan for handling unforeseen events in maintenance operations.
- The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the County Councils ensures the existence of a plan for handling unforeseen events in maintenance operations.
Facts
| Location | Fv. 40, Uvdal, Nore and Uvdal municipality |
| Occurrence date | 08.11.2024 |
| Accident type | Head-on collision |
| Road class | County road |
| County | Buskerud |
| Vehicle type | Lorry, Van |
| Type of Transportation | Freight transport |
| Accident category | Ulykke m/ kjøretøy over 7500 kg |