Many learners in Sweden practise mostly in town, but the driving test also includes rural roads. Country roads have their own risks: higher speeds, narrow sections, hidden bends, slow farm vehicles, darkness for much of the year and animals on the road. Trafikverket reports that around 175 wildlife and reindeer collisions are reported to the police every day.

Speed on rural roads

Outside built-up areas, the basic speed limit is 70 km/h (bashastighet) under 3 kap. 17 § of the Traffic Ordinance (Trafikförordningen 1998:1276). Trafikverket can set 80, 90, 100 or 110 km/h on a specific road, shown with sign C31.

The limit is the maximum, not the target. 3 kap. 15 § lists situations where you must keep a sufficiently low speed. Several are typical of the countryside:

  • sharp bends
  • hill crests and other places where the view is blocked
  • risk of being dazzled
  • meeting other vehicles on narrow roads
  • slippery roads
  • livestock on the road
  • places where crossing traffic can appear

Narrow roads and meeting traffic

On narrow roads you often have to plan who passes first. Watch for:

  • B6, Väjningsplikt mot mötande trafik: you may not enter the narrow stretch if it would obstruct oncoming vehicles.
  • B7, Mötande trafik har väjningsplikt: oncoming traffic must give way to you.
  • E18, Mötesplats: a passing place. Use it early, and do not park in it.

Gravel roads, soft verges and the edge of the asphalt can pull the car sideways. Slow down before you move towards the edge to meet someone, not while you are doing it.

Overtaking on country roads

3 kap. 39 § sets clear limits. Where the view is blocked at a hill crest or in a bend, you may only overtake if there are at least two lanes in your direction without oncoming traffic, or if you do not need to use the oncoming lane at all. Overtaking just before or in a junction is also prohibited in most cases.

Slow vehicles are common in the countryside. A tractor of type b, for example, may not be driven faster than 50 km/h, and a class I moped not faster than 45 km/h. Be patient, keep a distance that lets you see past, and overtake only where the road is straight, the view is clear and no solid line stops you.

Lights in the dark

Swedish rural roads are often unlit, and autumn and winter evenings are long. The rules in Trafikförordningen:

  • High beam must be used when your field of vision would otherwise not be enough to drive safely at your speed (3 kap. 70 §).
  • High beam must not be used on well-lit stretches, at a distance where an oncoming driver could be dazzled, or close behind another vehicle (3 kap. 70 §).
  • Lights must not dazzle other drivers (3 kap. 67 §).

Dip early when you see oncoming lights, and switch back to high beam as soon as the oncoming vehicle has passed. High beam is your best tool for spotting animals at the roadside.

Wildlife: where and when the risk is highest

Sign A19, Varning för djur marks a place or stretch with a special risk of animals on or beside the road. The animal symbol on the sign can vary. Treat the sign as real information, not decoration: slow down, scan both verges and use high beam when allowed.

Trafikverket highlights:

  • Dawn and dusk as times to be especially alert.
  • Spring, when last year's young are driven away, and the autumn hunting season, when moose and other animals move more.

If one animal crosses in front of you, slow down and watch for another following it. Trafikverket has built more than 8,000 km of wildlife fencing along state roads, combined with crossings for animals, but no fence makes a road completely safe, so the warning signs still matter.

What to do after a wildlife collision

According to Polisen, if you hit a bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx, moose (elk), red deer, roe deer, otter, wild boar, mouflon or eagle, you must report it. Reindeer collisions must also be reported. The steps:

  • Call 112 immediately and tell the police.
  • Mark the place on the side of the road where the animal disappeared. Use a wildlife accident marking strip if you have one, otherwise something clearly visible such as a plastic bag.
  • Put out a warning triangle if needed.
  • Do not follow or track an injured animal yourself. The police contact a specially trained hunter.
  • Stay reachable by phone for a while in case the tracker needs more information.

These steps apply even if the animal does not look injured. Trafikverket adds one exception to stopping at the exact spot: after a collision with a wild boar, bear, lynx or wolf, drive on 200 metres before you stop, then mark the place and call the police.

Typical theory test traps

  • "The animal ran off unhurt, so no report." The duty to report and mark the place applies even if the animal is not visibly injured.
  • Following an injured moose into the forest. You must not track it yourself.
  • High beam behind a slow vehicle. Not allowed close behind another vehicle.
  • Overtaking a tractor before a hill crest. Not allowed if you need the oncoming lane and the view is blocked.
  • 70 as the target. 70 is the basic maximum, and bends, crests and narrow roads require less.

FAQ

What is the speed limit on Swedish country roads?

Outside built-up areas the basic limit is 70 km/h unless signs show otherwise. Many roads are signed 80, 90, 100 or 110 km/h.

Do I need to report hitting a hare or a fox?

The reporting duty that Polisen describes covers specific species: bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx, moose, red deer, roe deer, otter, wild boar, mouflon and eagle, plus reindeer. Hare and fox are not on that list.

When is the risk of hitting a moose highest?

Trafikverket points to dawn and dusk, spring, and the autumn hunting season as periods to be especially alert.

You can practise questions on rural roads, A19 signs and wildlife collisions in Körkort Hero, in 16 languages, including the exact steps to follow after hitting an animal.

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