Using the beam-foil technique and rather low beam energies (in the range 216-296 keV) in order to reduce cascade corrections, we have determined lifetimes for the , and terms of O II and compared them with predictions from various theoretical and experimental approaches. Our results support the claim for a short average lifetime. Experimental lifetimes for , and have been determined for the first time. The first two compare well with the opacity project results, whereas the experimental lifetime of level, a pseudo-five-electron system lying above the O II ionization limit, is a factor of four smaller.