Feilvei

Feilvei is a Norwegian term that literally translates to "wrong road." It is not a standard technical term in Norwegian transport administration, but it is used in everyday language and media to refer to situations where a person travels on a road in the wrong direction or follows an incorrect route. The phrase often appears in discussions about traffic incidents, navigation errors, or planning mistakes.

Etymology and usage of the term reflect its literal meaning: feil means wrong, vei means road. In practical use, feilvei describes a misdirection rather than a formal category in road design. The concept is commonly addressed in safety discussions and in the context of navigation or mapping errors.

In road safety, the related concept is wrong-way driving, which occurs when a vehicle travels in the opposite direction on a road where such travel is prohibited, typically on one-way streets or access ramps. Causes include driver error, poor visibility, signage confusion, and detours. Countermeasures include clear regulatory signs, physical separation of opposing traffic, roadway design changes, improved lighting, surveillance, and alert systems in vehicles and infrastructure.

In the context of navigation and road design, errors causing a "feilvei" situation can arise from outdated maps, misrouted routes by GPS, or detours not reflected in navigation data. Modern systems aim to minimize these errors through live traffic updates, user-reported corrections, and regular data maintenance.

The term may also appear in discussions of place names or local dialect uses where feilvei describes a road that is or was misnamed or misrouted in historical maps.

See also: wrong-way driving, traffic signs, road safety, navigation systems, traffic management.