As we move towards darker times in autumn and later the onset of winter, there is also the risk of slippery road conditions which in turn can cause accidents, especially if animals are on the road.
According to the County Administrative Board, a wildlife accident occurs every eight minutes in Sweden. This results in 62,000 accidents every year.
Due to the high number of accidents, the police recently went out and urged all road users to be careful as we move towards darker times.
“Now the evenings and mornings are getting darker. Adjust driving according to conditions such as the prevailing visibility. Take game warning signs seriously and be especially alert during dawn and dusk”.
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Trafikverket: “Be attentive and drive carefully”
Although the risk of encountering, and in the worst case, colliding with game, exists all year round for road users, regardless of the season, you should take care and keep your attention on driving.
With the imminent risk, the Swedish Transport Administration has issued a sharp call to everyone who is on the Swedish roads.
“Pay attention and drive carefully, you can meet them anywhere and anytime. Be especially careful at dawn and dusk,” they write on their homepage.
Should you be involved in an accident, there are some important things you need to know. When animals, both wild and domestic, are hit, you must call 112 and report the accident.
Should you not do this, you are breaking the law and may be punished for it.
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Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT
Source: If försäkringar
Wildlife accident? Then you are breaking the law
The police in turn informs what applies and what can happen if you do not report the accident. On their website, they explain what type of crime is committed if an accident is not reported.
“Not notifying the Police Authority in the event of a game accident is punishable and is classified as a crime according to the Hunting Ordinance and can result in daily fines. You also need to notify if you have run over a reindeer, even if reindeer are not considered game,” they write on the website.
In turn, the Swedish Transport Administration explains, in the call they issued, exactly what you should do in the event that you are involved in a wildlife accident.
According to the agreement the Swedish Transport Administration procured with various contractors around the country, animals within the state road network must be taken care of within 1-2 hours after they die as a result of a traffic accident. In some cases, it may take longer if the accident occurred in a hard-to-reach location.
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Photo: Leif R Jansson/TT Then you can be sentenced to a fine of SEK 40,000
There are examples of very high fines issued for offenses against the Hunting Act.
In 2020, a man was sentenced, according to the site We Car Ownersto a fine of SEK 10,000 after waiting five days to report the accident.
According to Swedish Hunting another person was sentenced as late as summer 2024 to SEK 24,000 in daily fines when the person waited a day to report the accident.
According to the hunting site, the standard penalty is 40 daily fines. The amount is set from SEK 50 up to and including SEK 1,000.
This means that, in the worst case scenario, you can be sentenced to pay up to SEK 40,000 in fines if you do not report the accident when it occurs.
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