– We see in our accident analysis that the A-tractor driver was at fault in 90 percent of the accidents, says Maria Klingegård, traffic safety researcher at Folksam.
Over 33 percent of parents believe that it is most common for A-tractors to be hit from behind by a faster moving vehicle. Only one percent believe that it is the A-tractor driving the car in front, according to the survey, which is based on survey responses from 1,200 parents of young people who drive A-tractors.
– But the accident analysis shows that it is more common for the A-tractor to drive into the car in front than the other way around, this happens in 77 percent of the cases, says Klingegård.
At the same time, 82 percent of parents think that the speed of A tractors should be increased from 30 to 45 km/h.
Greater risk of personal injury
Folksam’s injury statistics for 2018–2023 show that there is twice as much risk of having a collision with personal injury in an A-tractor compared to a regular passenger car. This is because you are more often unbelted and the vehicles are generally not as safe as ordinary cars. Last year, new seat belt rules came into effect.
According to the insurance company’s accident analysis, half of all accidents are single-vehicle accidents, 18 percent are crossing accidents and 13 percent are accidents where the A-tractor has driven into the vehicle in front. The accident analysis is based on a random number of accidents with personal injuries during 2017–2021.
“Responsibility rests on the parents”
According to Petter Wahllöf, group leader at the traffic police in Karlskrona, a large part of the serious accidents are connected to excessive speeds. This, in turn, is based on the fact that the vehicles are manipulated.
– You should mistrust your children appropriately. It is more common than you think with manipulation of A tractors, he says.
– If you provide an A tractor, it is also the responsibility of the parents to ensure that it is in the prescribed condition.
Wahllöf points out that as a parent you should be curious, test drive, talk and dare to take responsibility when things are not right.
– Everything is based on the violence of the crash: if you drive faster, the injuries are significantly worse. You have to keep that in mind, it’s our children we’re talking about.