Published: Just now
The police in Region Väst have checked 300 A tractors during the autumn holidays. The checks show that two-thirds of the vehicles are modified or have defects that are illegal or dangerous.
The extended checks were made due to the severe accidents with A-tractors during the autumn, which in several cases had a fatal outcome.
The police in the West region have looked at the 300 controls for signs of whether the A-tractor has been manipulated to go faster than the maximum permitted speed of 30 kilometers per hour – something that can be difficult to detect.
“We check the vehicles thoroughly and look for flaws in the construction, condition and equipment,” says Hans Qvant, traffic police in Halmstad in a press release.
Majority dangerous to traffic
In two-thirds of the checks, the vehicles were modified or had defects that are illegal and dangerous to traffic.
In cases where a manipulation of the speed has been detected, it means that the driver has been guilty of illegal driving. A police report is then drawn up and the driver’s license confiscated. In the other cases, the vehicles have received an order for registration or control inspection.
“Can be life-threatening”
The severe A-tractor accidents have led to debate and, among other things, police officers who work with traffic issues have questioned the vehicle’s existence. The Swedish Transport Agency has proposed a series of tightening rules, such as requirements for seat belts, a maximum of one passenger per seat and winter tires as well as technical requirements that will make it more difficult to tune the A tractors.
The police in Väst want to remind parents to get involved in what the children are doing and to remember that it is “not innocent to rebuild A-tractors”.
“It can be life-threatening to drive too fast in an A-tractor or to cram more passengers in, the tractor is not designed for this – overall, the traffic hazard is enormously greater than when driving a normal passenger car,” says Hans Qvant.
Facts
Rules for A tractors
An A-tractor is a converted car, which according to the law cannot be driven faster than 30 kilometers per hour.
In 2020, the regulations were changed, so that even cars with automatic transmission can be converted to A-tractors. After that, there have been more A-tractors. Today there are over 50,000 registered A tractors. In October 2020, the number was 31,000.
If the Swedish Transport Agency’s proposal to reduce accidents goes through, there will be, among other things, requirements for the use of seat belts, only one passenger per seat, winter tires and the introduction of technical requirements to make it more difficult to manipulate the speed limit.
Source: The Swedish Transport Agency, the Police
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