Anders Parment: Warning for the Sprinter man

An ordinary early summer evening we sit in an Italian restaurant and chat, nothing in particular was discussed. What are the children doing this summer, how was it in Gothenburg, why are those who were angry at Anders Tegnell three years ago now angry at Stefan Yngves?

A friend, Hanna, comes by, we have been in Gothenburg the same day, both were to pick up a caravan at Hjälmaren after a children’s camp. But hers remains after an accident. She sees a white Sprinter coming at high speed in the rear view mirror and navigates towards the ditch, the crash is inevitable.

Wondering who drove the Sprinter, but Hanna doesn’t know, she and Johan were trapped between all the airbags until the ambulance arrived. Both survived intact, the almost new V90 was scrapped.

Cold shivers run through the body. I think of all the times I’ve driven a little too fast, a little too close, thought these tires would last another season, driven the last two miles because I couldn’t bring myself to stop and buy coffee. Of course I drive well, in general, but sometimes a bit careless and unfocused.

E20 is a blissful mix of motorway, road, 2+1 road, roundabouts and red lights. I don’t go there often, to Gothenburg the train is usually suitable, but not when a caravan needs to be picked up along the way. Nevertheless, I know exactly where the accident happened, I see myself checking in the center mirror, the second after a big bang and you think you are taking your last breath.

Sweden has the lowest traffic fatality rate per inhabitant in the EU. Denmark, Malta, Germany and Spain are also well located. Just returned from Spain, where they drive quite furiously, but are concentrated on driving, there is rarely anyone fiddling with the phone even in traffic queues.

At home in Stockholm, I drive home from town, see how in the subway social media is a healthy addiction, unfortunately I sometimes see the same thing when I ride public transport myself and check the cars. Maybe that’s what the Sprinter was doing, checking the stock price of Tele2, the line-up for Liverpool or the weather forecast. Only the driver himself knows. Maybe the Sprinter man works in the gig economy with poor working conditions and tight schedules, fatigue took over. We who have regular jobs pay less and less for the services, the gig workers have it harder and harder. Security is compromised.

Now winter is almost here, many people are thinking about driving one more season with the tires. They may be on the hair on October 27, but hardly before March. And watch out for continental friction tires. A good Nordic works excellently in all winter road conditions and decently on ice, a little worse in slush, but then you rarely drive on the edge, right?

Many who read here know this, but it is difficult to keep track of brands and models, both Nordic and continental promise safety in difficult winter conditions. Continentals are cheaper and produced in larger series, German and Asian brands often offer complete wheels with branded tires, Conti, Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli and Nokia, at a good price.

This is where both consumers and companies with large fleets go wrong, tire tests are important, there you learn which tires are best and the differences between Nordic and continental.

I don’t know anything about the Sprinter’s tires, maybe the impact would have been even stronger if it had been driven on all-year tires, the outcome worse and the caravan still remained waiting for a new owner. Maybe it was good tires that made Hanna and Johan manage at all.

It’s easy to come up with stylusesbut in a weak moment you can be the Sprinter yourself, then other people’s attention, car and tire choice can decide your own fate.