Honestly I did fine with FWD and no snow tires on my 97 Ford escort in college in the snow belt (200+ inches of snow a year). People love to waste money on AWD/4WD.
Good for Norway I guess? Like I said, it was never an issue, and I drove on roads that were consistently snow covered. Just drive slower. I used to pass a lot of vehicles stuck in snow banks off the highway after they had passed me at high speed, cars, trucks, SUVs, didn't matter. The primary risk factor in snow driving is speed.
Yes, Norway has good road safety numbers despite the weather.
Not having enough grip is an issue. Summer tires become useless when the road is very cold, or snowy, or icy. It’s physics and while driving slow helps, it’s still unsafe.
It’s not uncommon to see cars with summer tires struggling to climb the tiniest uphill roads with the first ice in October because some people forget that it gets cold every year. Good for you that you never got stuck or crashed, but it doesn’t mean it’s safe.