A new study from Karlstad University in collaboration with Chalmers Industrial Technology has looked at statistics from the years 2000 to 2021 from the Swedish Transport Agency’s accident database.
What has been discovered is that Sweden stands out when it comes to a particular type of traffic accident.
Unusually common accident in Sweden
The type of accident in question is rear-end accidents, which make up 12 percent of all traffic accidents involving pedestrians in Sweden.
This means that rear-end accidents are significantly more common in Sweden than in, for example, the USA or France, where the corresponding figure is 7 percent.
– The accidents mainly happen during weekends, usually between 9 and 16, in daylight. Parking spaces in urban areas are particularly vulnerable, says Khabat Aminstatistician and traffic safety analyst at the Swedish Transport Agency and doctoral student in risk and environmental studies at Karlstad University
– Although cars are most often involved in these accidents, it is trucks and buses that cause the most fatal rear-end accidents, he continues.
Older women particularly vulnerable
Something that is pointed out as particularly serious is that a quarter of the rear-end accidents involve contamination, where neither the vehicle nor the driver can be identified.
The pedestrians who are particularly vulnerable to rear-end accidents are the elderly, often women, and those who use aids such as a wheelchair or a walker.
Children under the age of 17 are also seen to be involved, particularly in garage driveways.
The drivers in the accidents are usually men, aged 18 to 54.
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This is how accidents are to be avoided
The study identifies a number of measures that may be needed to reduce the number of rear-end accidents.
This includes both technical solutions and an increased awareness among drivers.
A solution could be changed urban planning where parking spaces are designed to minimize backing, as well as protected walkways that separate pedestrians and vehicles.
Driver support technology such as reversing cameras, reversing sensors and automatic braking are also considered important tools for reducing the number of accidents.
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