At first, the Swedish Transport Administration did not know if the reduced average speed was just a coincidence that might be connected to the pandemic, but when the figures for 2022 were calculated, it became clear that it was actually a break in the trend.
From 2020 through 2022, the average speed has decreased from 76.4 km/h to 75.6 km/h. It may seem like a modest reduction, but according to Maria Krafft, Director of Targets at the Swedish Transport Administration, it has great significance. As many as 25 lives may have been saved in those three years, according to the agency’s calculations.
– Just pushing the speed down a little, which each of us wouldn’t notice, that makes a huge difference.
Hear the Swedish Transport Administration’s – and ordinary motorists’ – theories about what is behind the reduced speed in the clip above.