Not having had time to change to winter tires when the first snowfall hits is not unusual.
If you live in the southernmost parts of the country, where there is rarely snow for more than a few days at a time, it may even be tempting for some to completely ignore changing from summer to winter tires.
Many people are careless with winter tires
According to a survey by the insurance company If, one in five Swedes waits until the last permitted day before changing to winter tires, while one in six motorists states that they sometimes drive with summer tires when there is snow.
Driving on summer tires in winter road conditions can significantly increase the risk of an accident.
It may also incur other penalties.
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Summer tires are then prohibited in winter road conditions
In Sweden, it is required to use winter tires on the car between December 1 and March 31, as long as winter road laws prevail.
The police defines winter road conditions as when there is “snow, ice, slush or frost on any part of the road surface or road surface”.
The police don’t like it if you drive with summer tires on winter roads – Photo: Johan Nilsson/TTCan you get a fine?
If you are caught driving on summer tires on winter road conditions during the period from December 1 to March 31, you can be fined.
If there are no winter road conditions, it is permitted to drive on summer tires during this period as well.
It is also legal to drive on summer tires in winter road conditions outside this period, although this is absolutely not recommended.
May affect your driver’s license
Although during certain periods it is permitted to drive on summer tires in winter road conditions, this is considered a deliberate risk-taking by the police.
– If we arrive at an accident where someone with summer tires skids into other vehicles and causes damage, then it counts as having taken a conscious risk and it counts as negligence in traffic. If there are personal injuries or deaths, it can be a matter of fault, explained Mats Öhmanpress spokesperson at the police region Bergslagen, in an interview with Styear 2022.
Both in the case of carelessness in traffic and fault, a penalty can be the withdrawal of the driver’s license.
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This can affect your insurance
It is not only the police who can have a say in the event that you drive with summer tires in winter road conditions.
Should you be involved in an accident under these conditions, and you are deemed to have been at fault or negligent, your insurance company may be reluctant to give you full compensation.
In a compilation from 2022 states We Car Owners that the insurance companies Folksam, Trygg Hansa and If in these situations add an extra deductible or reduce the compensation.
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