Good Midsummer weather a traffic hazard
Midsummer Eve is the most dangerous day to be out on the roads in Sweden, with 60 traffic accidents last year. To make sure everyone reaches the maypole in one piece, the Transport Administration has issued traffic advice.
Last year was a record low in terms of fatalities. One person lost their life over the Midsummer holiday period.
"That was a record. We have never experienced it before. It was better than a regular weekend," Claes Tingvall, traffic safety director at the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
"But to beat last year's record will be difficult. It was down to chance."
On average, seven people lose their lives over the Midsummer weekend in Sweden.
And while most Swedes obsess about the chance of nice weather, Tingvall told the Norrbottens-Kuriren newspaper that good weather means people might go out for a casual drive at night, which was not recommended.
Above all, Tingvall said, Swedes should avoid the Midsummer Eve's traffic if possible, instead heading to their families or summer houses early on Midsummer Day.
The bigger highways, all with the letter E in their name to signify a European highway, will be experiencing higher than normal traffic in the south of the country.
The Transport Administration in particular predicts increased traffic along the coastal highways, such as the E6 and the E45.
Elodie Pradet
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Last year was a record low in terms of fatalities. One person lost their life over the Midsummer holiday period.
"That was a record. We have never experienced it before. It was better than a regular weekend," Claes Tingvall, traffic safety director at the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
"But to beat last year's record will be difficult. It was down to chance."
On average, seven people lose their lives over the Midsummer weekend in Sweden.
And while most Swedes obsess about the chance of nice weather, Tingvall told the Norrbottens-Kuriren newspaper that good weather means people might go out for a casual drive at night, which was not recommended.
Above all, Tingvall said, Swedes should avoid the Midsummer Eve's traffic if possible, instead heading to their families or summer houses early on Midsummer Day.
The bigger highways, all with the letter E in their name to signify a European highway, will be experiencing higher than normal traffic in the south of the country.
The Transport Administration in particular predicts increased traffic along the coastal highways, such as the E6 and the E45.
Elodie Pradet
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