Published: Less than 2 hours ago
Updated: Just now
Among motorists, they are not particularly popular.
But for the young people, the tractors and mopeds are a way to become more independent.
– The freedom to get around and go when you want is the best, says Theodore Öhrn.
37 percent. This is how much the number of A-tractors has increased in Stockholm County during the past twelve months.
They are also increasing in the rest of the country, with an average of 27.6 percent. Västra Götaland county still tops the list with 7,383.
In the whole of Sweden, there are almost 50,000 a-tractors.
Young people and Lidingö residents Ahmed Jamal and Theodore Öhrn drive a moped.
It can drive 45 kilometers per hour, while the limit for a-tractors is 30 kilometers per hour, which they think is strange.
– It’s a real car, while this one is just plastic. I think they should be allowed to drive faster, says Ahmed Jamal.
“They block traffic”
In July 2020, the Swedish Transport Agency changed the rules for a-tractors, which is the reason for the large increase.
The requirement to have two gearboxes upon registration was removed, whereupon the speed began to be limited electronically via the car’s engine control unit.
However, the system is not waterproof, but the car’s maximum speed can be manipulated.
– You suspect that it happens sometimes, because it goes a little faster than 30, says motorist Thomas Bjelke, who stands and thinks.
As a motorist, he dislikes tractors and mopeds. They cause it in traffic, he thinks.
– When they are out driving on the bridge, for example, they are in the middle of the lanes and obstruct the traffic. They must stay away.
The young people like the freedom of being able to move around without their parents. Thomas Bjelke thinks they have the opportunity to do so anyway.
– In the old days, you went. Today they are lazy. You can walk or cycle instead, says Thomas Bjelke.
Accidents are increasing
According to the Swedish Transport Agency, the background to the decision to change the law was that they wanted to enable the use of more modern and road-safe vehicles in order to reduce accidents.
Ahmed Jamal has had his driver’s license for a month, and so far so good.
– Once I forgot the right-of-way rule. But it was once, the first day. Since then, things have gone well, says Ahmed Jamal.
Relatively few a-tractor drivers die in road accidents, but according to the Swedish Transport Agency’s figures, the number of accidents has increased significantly in recent years.
To drive an a-tractor, you need to be 15 years old and have a moped driver’s license, a so-called AM driver’s license.
– I still have to wait until June 2023, but it will be really fun, says Theodore Öhrn.