Emergency Stop

If you have a problem with your car and need to stop, it is important that you take the correct actions. Try to move the car off the road or as far out onto the edge of the road as possible, and turn on the car’s hazard lights.

When should the warning triangle be used?

If you make an emergency stop in a dangerous place and if the speed limit is over 50 km/h, then you should set up your warning triangle in order to warn other road users. It should be placed a good bit behind the vehicle so that other drivers are warned in good time; around 50–100 metres behind the vehicle is recommended.

Clarification: Speed limit of over 50 km/h refers to roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or higher.

Wildlife Accidents

According to The National Wildlife Association (Nationella Viltolycksrådet) there are about 60,000 wildlife accidents in Sweden each year. Most of the personal injuries are caused by collisions with elk. Hitting other animals usually only results in vehicle damage. However, there is also a risk that drivers brake in panic or swerve sharply to avoid an animal, which can result in the car running off the road or colliding with another vehicle.

It is important to be on the lookout for wild animals at all times, although the risk is greater in certain places and at certain times and there are cases where you will need to be more on the lookout. The risk is especially high:

• At dusk and at dawn.
• In May–June.
• In September–October.
• At the edge of forested areas.
• At clearings.
• At places where wildlife fencing begins and ends.

Actions to Take in the Case of an Accident

If you collide with an animal, you should turn on your hazard lights and set up your warning triangle to warn other road users. If the animal is injured and disappears from the site of the accident, you should mark out the exact spot where it disappeared. If the animal is killed in the collision, you should move its body from the road.

If you collide with a larger animal, you are obliged to report the accident to the police. Animals which are counted as larger animals: elk, roe deer, red deer, bear, wolf, lynx, otter, wild boar and eagles.