Last year, 38,709 people got off with the driver’s license. This is an increase of 5.8 percent compared to 2023, new figures from the Swedish Transport Agency show.
Most people who get their driver’s license revoked have committed a traffic violation. 19 281 people got rid of it because of what is described as essential violations, which is usually speeding. This is just over 5 percent more than the year before, but still significantly fewer than the number who had the driver’s license recalled in 2020 and 2021.
There are also more people who get rid of the driver’s license for being guilty of several minor violations, a figure that has increased several years in a row.
“If a driver repeat is reported for minor traffic offenses, it is a signal that one is not prepared to comply with the rules that control the traffic,” says Åsa Bergqvist, Head of Unit at the Swedish Transport Agency, according to a press release.
But there are also more people who are stopped from sitting behind the steering wheel for medical reasons. 7,173 people had their driver’s license revoked for that reason last year. These are mostly people over 75, according to the authority.
“In general, we are getting older in Sweden and it is very possible that it can be a contributing cause of the increase,” says Bergqvist.