Road safety

Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M)

Madam Speaker! Once again, we have the opportunity here in the chamber to highlight the importance of road safety, an area where the objective, for once, is something that we agree on among the political parties. We all want to see that no one should be killed or seriously injured in traffic.

Much work has been done over the years where we have prioritized together, which has led to Sweden and Denmark now being the countries with the lowest traffic mortality in the EU. Life is fragile, and our Moderate-led government is clear about our priorities: It is maintenance and safety that matters.

Maintenance of the road network is important to reduce the risk of potholes that can brutally stop two-wheeled vehicles. More sections with wildlife fences reduce the risk of accidents when wildlife wanders freely. With median strips, we ensure that vehicles do not end up on the wrong side of the road, and climbing lanes and two-plus-one roads make overtaking of slow-moving or heavy traffic safer. The risk is also reduced for behaviors that expose others to unnecessary danger.

I am proud of the work that many have contributed to in order to save our exemption at the EU level for the A-traktor, which happened recently. For young people, especially in the countryside where the subway is mostly seen in films and public transport is neither particularly widespread nor collective, the A-traktor or equivalent vehicles provide a freedom that is often eagerly awaited and which also many times helps in the family puzzle. That we now have a law on seatbelts feels obvious, and I actually have a bit of difficulty understanding why it hasn't been so earlier.

We still have work to do, however, in reviewing the traffic education. That the safety component is of great importance is undisputed, but on the other hand, I look forward to looking at whether it is truly reasonable that someone who plans to drive a four-wheeled vehicle only practices and drives a two-wheeled one. Likewise, the quality of the driving schools is of the utmost importance so that young drivers can be confident and safe and have as much high-quality knowledge as possible when they set out and practice to become truly skilled drivers. The driving schools play an important role, and the quality of these and the control that ensures we remove actors who do not meet the standard is another important part in ensuring that young drivers contribute to road safety work and can themselves be role models in traffic.

Madam Speaker! Two years ago, we debated road safety here on the floor. I told about the horror I felt as a child when watching the accident on TV. Last year, we were just confronted with the shock that the parties, employers and unions, did not listen to Blåljussveriges alarm regarding the importance of flexible working hours with the possibility of night shifts in the schedule and with compensatory leave as a result, which ensures that, when the truly difficult accidents occur, they have the possibility of flexible swaps, relief, counseling support, and a few days to prep and be ready again. It is truly important.

The clip from last year's road safety debate has been shown a total of 168,000 times. Reaching out through the media noise is really not everything, but it says something about how important this is for an entire profession of superheroes. They deserve to be listened to.

I want us, regardless of party affiliation, age, gender, or background, to be able to trust that Räddningssverige is an important part of the road safety work and functions when an accident occurs. Is it not, after all, more than right that these everyday heroes in our vast country also get to feel that we are there for them, that we listen, take them to heart, turn and twist the questions, and see opportunities instead of creating obstacles? Above all, we should across party lines ensure that with common sense instead of prestige, we dare to truly listen, take in the knowledge, and do what we should be passionate about – namely, solving real problems instead of creating new ones. That is what commitment and political leadership are about.

As a Moderate, I believe in responsibility and freedom and that systems should not prevent people from choosing how they want to live their lives. Instead, we should create secure opportunities. I share that attitude with many, including our Member of the European Parliament Tobé, who has held the Swedish flag high and clearly demonstrated that it is not the EU that prevents us in Sweden from deciding working hours, but we ourselves who own our decisions. It is also something firefighters like Marcus Aronsson, together with many colleagues around the country, have pushed for to highlight during the past year. Hats off to them for not giving up but still standing firm and still being reliable!

Decisions and intentions are all well and good, but it does not always turn out as one intended. It is actually not dangerous to say out loud that what we decided turned out wrong, but that we have listened and will do everything in our power to redo it and do it right. Here we stand now, with a warm and wonderful summer ahead of us, where the rescue services across the country have received a waiver from their own agreement and are allowed to work exactly as they wish. It is a truly good start to leading us forward, back to that Sweden where rescue services and ambulance corps are on the youth's wish list of future employers.

To want, to dare, and to choose is the basis for decision-making. I promise to do everything in my power to continue highlighting the real problems. The country's superheroes within emergency services, ambulance, and healthcare rush out where no one else wishes to go and stretch out their hands when we fellow human beings are at our most vulnerable and weak. When they now do not trust the system, that their own trade union is driving their cause or that their employer listens and tries to find flexible solutions, they should not have to doubt our support and our intentions.

Madam Speaker! Road safety is multifaceted. Every party has its part, and the whole is the sum of what each one contributes. Modern systems for speed limits in the car, median strips that create safe meeting-free lanes, alcohol interlocks, fatigue warning systems, and autonomous driving are just a few examples of measures and innovations that contribute to making our roads safer.

By educating our children in road safety from an early age and by continuing to spread awareness about the risks of unsafe behaviors on the road, we can create a generation of safer drivers and pedestrians. But most importantly, we take personal responsibility for our own and others' safety.

I move for the approval of the proposals in the report and would like to conclude with a small advertisement. Warm evenings await with a walk or bike ride in the twilight. Don't forget the reflective vest! It is the world's simplest, best, and cheapest life insurance for unprotected road users. I wish the Speaker with staff, colleagues, and the Traffic Committee's office a fine summer. I want to thank you for the good cooperation during the parliamentary year. Don't forget to enjoy the time we have ahead of us! Of 100 summer days, we have 96 left.

(Applause)

In this speech, Sten Bergheden, Ann-Charlotte Hammar Johnsson, David Josefsson, Johanna Rantsi and Oskar Svärd (all M) concurred.

(cont. § 15)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)