Don't forget to scrape the windows – otherwise you could lose your driver's license

As winter and cold weather arrive in Sweden, it’s time for many to start scraping their windows again. However, some take the easy way out and skip the scraping and drive off anyway, something that can cost them dearly.

In the worst case, skipping window scraping can result in a revoked driver’s license and fines of up to 40,000 SEK. Every winter, the police stop many such drivers.

“It’s negligence in traffic and it can be costly,” says traffic police officer Johan Alm to Carup.

A man in Eskilstuna who the police stopped in the middle of the morning rush, barely having scraped the windows and only created a small peephole with a snus can, was reported for negligence in traffic. In the district court, he was fined 40,000 SEK and the Swedish Transport Agency decided to revoke his driver’s license.

In another case, a woman was brought to court after neglecting to scrape the windows. She was convicted of negligence in traffic, fined, and lost her driver’s license.

The practice is that the front windshield, front side windows, and rearview mirrors must be clean. Failing to remove snow from the roof also risks fines. Front and rear lights as well as the license plate should also be free of snow.

SMHI Warning

On Wednesday, SMHI issues several yellow warnings for snowfall in large parts of the country. “Allow more time for your journey and adjust your speed to the road conditions and visibility,” they warn.

The areas covered by the warnings are Västra Götaland County, central and eastern parts of Svealand and Gästrikland, as well as large parts of southeastern and inner Götaland. Later in the day, warnings have also been added for the northern Uppland coast and the southeasternmost Norrland.

“Between 5 and 10 centimeters of snow are expected, locally 15 centimeters. It is southwest of Lake Vänern where the largest amounts are expected,” says Nils Holmqvist, meteorologist at SVT.