Most drivers hope never to be first at an accident scene, but the Swedish theory test expects you to know exactly what to do if it happens. Swedish law also gives drivers concrete duties after an accident, and some of them apply even if the crash was not your fault. This guide covers the legal duties, the practical order of actions, wildlife collisions and the questions that often trip learners up.

The duties are set out in the Traffic Ordinance (trafikförordningen 1998:1276, chapter 2, section 8). If you have been involved in a traffic accident, with or without fault of your own, you must:

  • Stay at the scene. You may not simply drive on.
  • Help injured people as far as you are able.
  • Give your name and address and information about what happened if someone involved asks for it.
  • Notify the police as soon as possible if someone has been injured and the injury is not insignificant.

Leaving the scene to avoid these duties is a crime known as smitning (hit-and-run) under the Act on Penalties for Certain Traffic Offences (lag 1951:649). The penalty is a fine or up to six months in prison, and up to one year if the offence is serious.

The order of actions at an accident scene

When you arrive at or cause an accident, think in this order: protect, alert, help.

  1. Stop safely. Park where your own car does not create a new danger, turn on the hazard lights and put on a reflective vest if you have one.
  2. Warn other traffic. Set out a warning triangle well before the scene so approaching drivers have time to slow down. On a fast road, place it further back than on a slow street.
  3. Get an overview. How many people are involved? Is anyone trapped, unconscious or bleeding heavily? Is there a fire or leaking fuel?
  4. Call 112. Say where you are, what has happened and how many are injured. The 112 app can show your GPS coordinates, which helps on rural roads without clear landmarks.
  5. Give first aid. Check breathing first. An unconscious person who is breathing normally should be placed in the recovery position (stabilt sidoläge). If the person is not breathing normally, start CPR (HLR). Stop heavy bleeding with direct pressure.
  6. Stay until help arrives and you have given your details to the police or the other people involved.

Do not move an injured person unless they are in immediate danger, for example from fire or traffic.

The warning triangle rule

Trafikförordningen (chapter 4, section 57) requires the driver to set out a warning triangle when the vehicle has stopped on the carriageway or the verge on a road with a speed limit above 50 km/h, in a place where stopping is not normally allowed. You must also take any other measures needed to warn other road users. The triangle must also be used when you are parked on the carriageway and the weather or other conditions make it hard for others to see your car.

On motorways and other fast roads, people waiting for help are safest behind the crash barrier, not standing next to the car.

112 or 114 14?

  • 112 is for emergencies: when there is danger to life, health or property, or a crime is happening right now. A fresh accident with injuries or a blocked fast road is a 112 call.
  • 114 14 is the police number for non-urgent matters, open all day, every day. Use it, for example, to report an incident afterwards when nobody needs immediate help.

Wildlife collisions (viltolycka)

Collisions with animals are common on Swedish roads, especially at dawn and dusk. If you hit one of these animals with a motor vehicle, you must report it to the police immediately by calling 112:

  • bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx, eagle
  • moose (älg), red or fallow deer (hjort), roe deer (rådjur)
  • wild boar, mouflon sheep and otter

You must also mark the place where the collision happened, preferably on the side of the road where the animal disappeared. Use a wildlife collision marker if you have one, otherwise something clearly visible such as a plastic bag or scarf. This applies even if the animal looks unhurt or has left the scene. Failing to report is a crime under the hunting ordinance (jaktförordningen) and can lead to day fines.

Damage-only accidents

If nobody is hurt, you usually sort it out with the other driver and your insurers. You still have to stay and exchange names and addresses with the other driver. Note the registration numbers, the time and place, and take photos of the positions of the vehicles. Then contact your insurance company.

If you damage a parked car and the owner is not there, try to find them or leave your contact details. Driving away without identifying yourself can be treated as smitning.

Typical theory test traps

  • "It was not my fault, so I can leave." Wrong. The duty to stay applies with or without fault.
  • Triangle placement. Placing it right behind the car gives approaching drivers no warning. It belongs well before the scene, further back on faster roads.
  • Moving the injured. The correct answer is usually to leave them where they are, unless there is an immediate danger such as fire.
  • Roe deer or wild boar. These must be reported via 112 even if the animal ran into the forest.
  • First action. Questions often test that you protect the scene before running to help, so that you do not become the next casualty.

FAQ

Do I have to report every accident to the police?

You must notify the police when someone has been injured and the injury is not insignificant, and always after a collision with one of the wild animals listed above. For damage-only accidents where details are exchanged, a police report is usually not needed.

Is a warning triangle mandatory equipment?

Yes. Transportstyrelsen's equipment rules require a car in use to carry an approved warning triangle (type-approved under UN ECE Regulation 27). A reflective vest is recommended but not legally required. Keep it somewhere you can reach quickly, not under a full boot of luggage.

What should I say when I call 112?

Say where you are, what has happened, how many are injured and whether anyone is trapped or unconscious. Then follow the operator's instructions and keep the line open.

Accident duties, first aid order and wildlife reporting all appear in the Swedish theory test. You can practise these questions in Körkort Hero, available in 16 languages, until the right order of actions comes to you without thinking.

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