Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

TRAFFIC

Texting behind the wheel: Soon illegal in Sweden, too?

While most people would probably agree that texting and driving is a bad idea, using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel is still pretty much perfectly legal in Sweden. But that could soon be about to change.

Published: 26 April 2017 14:31 CEST

Texting behind the wheel: Soon illegal in Sweden, too?

Soon illegal? Photo: Erik Nylander/TT

Sweden remains one of very few European countries that still allow mobile phone use while driving, without using hands-free.

A 2016 survey by the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) found that 37 percent of Swedes text while driving. For those aged 18-30, the figure was 56 percent.

The current law, which was introduced in 2013, only bans drivers from using their phones in a manner that could be deemed “detrimental” to their driving. Whether someone's driving has been “detrimental” due to their mobile phone usage is down to the police to determine, but that has proven difficult.

Transportstyrelsen now wants to introduce a ban on mobile phone usage except with hands-free, and was backed by the Swedish government at a press briefing on Tuesday.

“It's hard for the police to determine whether it's the mobile phone usage that's resulted in the dangerous traffic behaviour, and it's hard to prove,” said Transportstyrelsen project manager Therese Malmström.

Minister for Infrastructure Anna Johansson said there were two good reasons for introducing a ban: the first being that Sweden would then live up to the Vienna Convention on traffic safety, which recommends a ban on handheld mobiles while driving. The second reason would be about clarity.

“I've met many people who think it is permitted to drive while texting or using your mobile in other ways. That is not the case,” Johansson said.

The change proposed by Transportstyrelsen reads, in full: “When driving on a road with a motor vehicle, the driver is allowed activities such as using a mobile phone and other communications equipment only if it is not detrimental to the driving of the vehicle. As such, the driver is not allowed to use a mobile phone in such a way that he or she holds it in his or her hand.”

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.

Url copied to clipboard!