The beginning of 2025 has become dark from a traffic point of view. During the past week, as many as eight people have died in traffic.
Road safety expert Malte Burwick calls it “deplorable”.
On Sunday, two people died in a head-on collision in Norra bro outside Örebro. According to witnesses, the crash must have happened after one of the cars crossed over to the wrong side of the road.
During Saturday, a fatal accident also occurred in Norsjö in Västerbotten, where a woman in her 60s died. On Saturday, a woman who was injured in a head-on collision in Gysinge in Sandviken municipality also died the day before.
Earlier in the week, fatal accidents were reported from Eskilstuna, among others, where a man was hit on the E20 after stopping and getting out of his car. In Vansbro, a man died after his car was hit by a freight train, and on Thursday a woman died after a head-on collision in Kil.
Malte Burwick is director of the organization Atentis, which works for increased road safety.
It is sad and tragic, he says about the beginning of the traffic year.
According to Burwick, it is likely that the classic road safety deficiencies are behind it. For example, not adjusting the speed to the road conditions, not keeping the required distance, or not fully focusing on driving.
When it is slippery, when there are difficult road conditions, then there are extra small margins.
What is needed is for everyone to really take this seriously and apply the driving style that you once learned when you were training to get your licence, says Burwick.