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WINTER

December 1st means winter tyres for Sweden’s drivers

Winter tyres are required by law in Sweden from December 1st in wintry conditions.

Published: 1 December 2018 17:10 CET
December 1st means winter tyres for Sweden's drivers
Photo: Erik Johansen/NTB Scanpix/TT

Although the Swedish Transport Administration advised drivers to begin using winter tyres (with a tread depth of at least three millimetres) in October, it becomes mandatory from December 1st to used winter tyres when there is considered to be a risk of snow or ice on the road.

That means the services of tyre companies are in high demand as motorists wait until the last minute to change their tyres, according to Mattias Hjort, head of research with the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI).

“Tyre companies tend to be overlooked around this time,” Hjort said.

“Our recommendations are always to not wait until the last minute, because a lot of accidents happen during the period when winter is setting it,” he added.

Debate over the winter tyre law, which came into effect in 1999, often revolves around which type of tyres is most suitable for the cold conditions, while the regulation itself is questioned less often, Hjort said.

“It has not really been in question since we got the winter tyre law almost 20 years ago,” he said.

“There was a clear effect on accident rates after just one or two years,” he added.

Swedish law states that all cars must be equipped with winter tyres between December 1st and March 31st if the weather conditions require it.

If your car doesn't have them or if they are not up to scratch (the tread depth is at least three millimetres), you risk a fine of 1,200 kronor.

Winter tyres radically decrease the risk of skidding and improve a vehicle's overall braking capacity on slippery surfaces, reducing the risk of accidents. There are two categories of winter tyre: studded and stud-free.

Studded winter tyres are allowed between October 1st and April 15th, or in wintry driving conditions.

In general, studded tyres are better suited for icy roads or on surfaces with hard-packed snow, while stud-free tyres work better on roads with soft snow. However, studded tyres are illegal on some streets in major Swedish cities for air pollution reasons.

Winter road conditions apply when there is snow, slush or ice on the road, according to the Swedish Transport Agency.

READ ALSO: Sweden essentials: the best winter driving tips to stay safe on the road

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DRIVING

EXPLAINED: When can a child sit in the front seat of a car in Switzerland?

Babies and children must be safely secured in a child’s car seat designed for their weight and age group whenever they travel in a car in Switzerland. We look at the rules around driving with children.

Published: 13 April 2023 11:17 CEST
EXPLAINED: When can a child sit in the front seat of a car in Switzerland?

In Switzerland, a simple rule for taking children in motor vehicles has been in place for a good two decades: Every child up to a height of 150 cm or the age of 12 must travel in a suitable child seat.

Its Austrian neighbour has even stricter rules in place. Babies and children in Austria must be correctly secured in a child’s seat up to the age of 14 if they are below 135 cm in height.

The German law takes a more relaxed approach and regulates that children from the age of 12 or those that are taller than 150 cm can ride in the vehicle without a child seat – with the appropriate seat belt, of course.

When can a child sit in the front?

According to the law in Switzerland, once a child has reached a height of 150 cm, they can sit anywhere in the car with or without a child or booster seat.

However, a child needs to reach a minimum height of 150 cm for the safety belts to guarantee their safety in a way that the neck is not constricted while driving in the event of sudden braking or an accident.

In principle, children are allowed to sit on the front passenger seat regardless of their age, however, this is not recommended by experts who argue that children are much safer in the back of the car. Furthermore, if a vehicle is equipped with airbags, rear-facing car seats may only be used if the front airbag on the passenger’s side is deactivated.

A driver at the Stelvio Pass, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Switzerland.

A driver at the Stelvio Pass, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Switzerland. Photo by Jaromír Kavan on Unsplash

Can I be fined for my child travelling without an appropriate car seat?

You can and you will. The fine for transporting an unsecured child under the age of 12 is 60 francs, which, given the risk driving without an appropriate child seat poses to your child’s life, is mild. 

But what about public transport?

Though this may seem illogical to some, Switzerland does not have any safety laws dictating that car seats be used on its buses, meaning it is not uncommon to see mothers standing in the aisle of a packed bus with a baby in a sling while struggling to hold on to a pole for stability.

Though politicians did briefly discuss equipping buses with baby and child seats in 2017 to avoid potential risks to minors, nothing came of it. Ultimately, supplying buses with special seats or introducing seat belts proved unrealistic given the number of seats and considering how often people hop on and off a bus – there is a stop almost every 300 metres in Switzerland.

Instead, drivers are now better informed of the dangers posed to minors travelling on their vehicles and parents are advised to leave children in strollers and not load those with heavy shopping bags.

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