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Swedes flout ban on texting behind the wheel

A four-month-old law banning the use of mobile phones in the car has not had much of an effect on Sweden’s motorists.

Published: 20 May 2018 16:21 CEST

Swedes flout ban on texting behind the wheel

Don't text and drive! Photo: Erik Nylander/TT

Since the much-discussed ban came into effect on February 1, more than 350 drivers have been charged with violating the law.

In nearly all of the cases in which drivers have been charged with using a handheld device while driving, they have been slapped with a 1,500 kronor (€145, $170) fine according to Sveriges Radio Ekot.

The new regulations ban drivers, if not explicitly from calling or texting, then at least from doing so while holding the phone in their hand.

“Hands on the wheel, not on the mobile,” read a government statement about the ban.

“It will be clearer now that you're not allowed to fiddle with the phone while you're out driving. A clearer rule means that more will follow it,” Infrastructure Minister Tomas Eneroth said back in December.

The high number of violations indicates that Eneroth’s prediction may have been off.

According to the latest report from the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen), mobile phone use is behind around 100 traffic accidents each year.

There is still some uncertainty about the extent of the new law. For example, the courts have not decided whether drivers are allowed to use their phones while their vehicles are stationary.

Public prosecutor Johan Bülow said the state is working to determine whether police officers can issue fines on the spot when they catch motorists flouting the ban.

“We want to have legal certainty on this. We quite simply want to know where the courts stand on the issue,” he told Ekot.

A 2016 survey by the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) found that 37 percent of Swedes text while driving. For those aged 18-30, the figure was 56 percent.

Another survey by vehicle testing agency Bilprovningen suggested even higher figures: seven out of ten of 2,000 respondents admitted to having read or sent a text message while behind the wheel.

How do you appeal a parking ticket in Sweden?

Receiving a parking ticket is always a frustrating experience, particularly if you’re in a country where you might not be entirely familiar with the relevant rules and procedures.

If you do end up having to deal with such a situation in Sweden, know that you have the right to appeal the ticket if you believe it was issued unfairly or in error – as long as you’re the registered owner of a vehicle in the Swedish Road Traffic Register (or an equivalent foreign register, for that matter).

READ MORE: The nine ways you can lose your driving licence in Sweden

Did you receive a ticket despite having a valid parking permit? Did the parking meter malfunction? Or do you believe the signs in the area were misleading?

If any of the above is the case, here’s what you should know (and do) to start an appeal case.

An important distinction: Parking fines (parkeringsanmärkning) vs parking charge notices (kontrollavgift)

Before proceeding with your appeal, it’s important to distinguish between a parking fine (parkeringsanmärkningin Swedish) and a parking charge notice (kontrollavgift).

The easy rule of thumb is that if you parked on a city street when you got a fine, you’ll likely be dealing with a standard parking fine. If, however, you used a private parking area, then chances are you’ll need to deal with a parking charge notice.

The Swedish police handle parking fines issued on municipal streets, while private parking companies issue parking charge notices for parking violations on private land.

So, if you want to challenge a parking fine that you received on a municipal street, contact the police.

However, if you want to contest a parking charge notice, you’ll need to get in touch with the private parking company that issued it.

The payment and deadline rules

Unfortunately, even if you believe there’s been a mistake and intend to challenge the parking fine, you must still pay it initially.

If your challenge is accepted, the amount you paid will be refunded.

Remember that you need to submit your appeal to the Swedish police no later than six months after you paid the fine or after the Swedish Enforcement Authority took action to collect the sum owed for the fine.

If you miss the deadline to pay your parking fine, you might also face an increased charge (which you also have the right to challenge). The Swedish Transport Agency is in charge of monitoring payments.

READ ALSO: EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

There are different payment rules in place for parking charge notices (kontrollavgift), however.

If you believe the parking charge notice you received is incorrect, do not pay it, as paying it means you’ve accepted the charge.

Instead, first, reach out to the private company that issued the notice to dispute it.

Can I challenge a parking fine online?

Luckily, the answer is yes (as long as you have a Swedish personal identity number/coordination number; if not, you’ll need to use a form) – the Swedish police have an online service you can use to challenge your parking fine, add more information to a previous challenge, or appeal a police decision on an earlier challenge.

The wizard will guide you on what actions you can and need to take.

What should I include in my appeal?

Simply stating that the parking fine was incorrect is rarely enough to get your parking ticket revoked.

You should gather and prepare all the necessary documentation to support your challenge (think photos, receipts, and the like).

The police’s online platform accepts JPG, PNG, DOCX, and PDF files, with a maximum file size of 10 MB at the time of writing.

Note: Before you challenge a parking fine, however, check whether you have sufficient grounds to do so. The Swedish police lists some of the most common challenges that it receives that do not meet the requirements for waiving payment liability on its website.

What can I do if my appeal is rejected?

If the police have rejected your challenge, you have the right to appeal their decision.

In that case, your appeal must be received by the authorities no later than three weeks after you receive the decision.

The online service can be used for four weeks after the decision is made. If this time has expired or if you cannot or do not wish to use the online service, you can also send your appeal in by email or post.

If you submit the appeal on time, the police will then send it to the district court together with other documentation in the case, and the court will look into the case.

Obvious errors on your parking fine

If you notice an obvious error on your parking fine, such as the wrong license plate number or make of vehicle, you can apply for rectification.

This path is used to address other factual inaccuracies that are easily verifiable. When you apply for rectification, you are basically requesting that the authority correct these mistakes without going through the full challenge or appeal process.

If the rectification request is straightforward and the error is unmistakable, the fine can be adjusted or cancelled accordingly.

To do this, take the parking fine to a police station within a few days of receiving it. The officers will review the mistake, and if it’s clear-cut, they will correct it on the spot.

However, if the rectification is not approved, you can proceed by challenging the parking fine through the standard process described beforehand.

Sweden’s parking rules can be a bit perplexing. One of our readers was fined 4,000 kronor after the rules changed on their street.

However, if you learn these rules, you should keep your annual ticket bill in the country to a minimum.

You can also find more information about common questions about road signs and general traffic rules in Sweden in the “Stopping and Parking” brochure issued by the Swedish Transport Agency.

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