It was on Friday afternoon that the snowy weather moved in over Skåne and caused trucks to get stuck in both directions on the E22 near Kristianstad. Road users were stuck in frozen vehicles for hours and the road was closed until midnight before the situation was resolved.
Salvage personnel on site were able to quickly ascertain that many vehicles had not been fitted with winter tires in time.
– I thought they had learned from last year, but it doesn’t feel that way, says Tobias Levin, who works as a rescue worker.
“Then you know the rules of the game”
The Swedish Transport Administration claims that it was both plowed and anti-slip. They want to await investigation before commenting on further measures to prevent more stops on the E22 or other heavily trafficked roads.
The trucking industry wants to see more resources that can move out in snowy weather and new legislation that forces winter tires to be used earlier.
– We think it would be better to have requirements for heavy trucks’ winter tires from the first of November to the end of April. Then you know the rules of the game and have better conditions when it does snow, says Ulric Långberg, director of social policy at Sweden’s haulage company.
Hear more from salvager Tobias Levin and Ulric Långberg at Sweden’s haulage company in the video above.