One of the safest signs of spring is more motorcycles in traffic.
To reduce the risk of accidents, one tip is that motorcyclists should take it easy at the beginning of the season, since you can be a bit rusty, says Roger Berzell, Secretary General of the Sveriges Motorcyklister (SMC) interest organization.
Even car drivers are unaccustomed to motorcycles coming out in traffic again. It becomes a slightly different traffic environment.
Something else to watch out for is that not all roads have been swept yet, which increases the risk of skidding.
Getting started after winter
Roger Berzell says that it's about softening up your skills after the winter break. SMC organizes courses for drivers to get started again. There, motorcyclists practice braking, taking curves, and slow driving.
His best advice for not ending up in accident statistics is to be sober, drive your own motorcycle that you're familiar with, and have a driver's license.
It's very sad that there are so many accidents. Statistically, there are far too many who drive without a driver's license.
Accidents are weather-dependent
Last year, 34 people died in motorcycle accidents. It's an increase of six fatalities compared to the average of the last five years, according to Transportstyrelsen. The most common type of accident was single-vehicle accidents.
Motorcycle accidents are very weather-dependent. Last year, we had a nice autumn, so the season became longer, says Roger Berzell.
He also points out that over the last 25 years, the number of motorcyclists has increased, while the number of accidents has been relatively constant.
So the number of accidents has decreased percentage-wise.
Dead
2024: 34
2023: 29
2022: 30
2021: 27
2020: 28
Source: Trafikanalys
