Sweden is a long, quiet country with excellent tarmac, an unusually strict speed culture and one genuine hazard that shapes how you plan a day: wildlife. In 2024 Swedish authorities registered more than 70,000 traffic accidents involving game, a record, including around 5,600 collisions with moose and close to 9,000 with wild boar, with roe deer accounting for nearly 50,000 of the total. Roughly 800 people are injured each year and about five are killed, and moose collisions account for most of the fatal ones. The practical response is not to stay home, it is to ride the middle of the day, use the long summer light properly, and know what to do at dawn and dusk.
The wildlife numbers, in order
Swedish game-collision statistics come from the Nationella Viltolycksrådet, a joint body of the police, the transport administration, the environmental agency and the hunting associations, and they are updated nightly, so they are unusually good data.
The normal level over recent years has been between 60,000 and 65,000 reported wildlife accidents a year. In 2024 that jumped past 70,000 for the first time, up by roughly 5,000 in a single year, against 44,243 in 2015. The direction is not uniform: in 2025 the northern counties fell sharply — Jämtland and Norrbotten by around 20 per cent — while the populous southern counties rose, with Halland up about 23 per cent and Kronoberg 20. Västra Götaland records the most accidents in absolute terms, 11,652 in the reference year.
Moose specifically. Sweden's summer moose population is estimated at 300,000 to 400,000, with about 100,000 shot each autumn. Around 5,600 collisions a year involve moose, and those are the dangerous ones because a moose's centre of mass sits above the bonnet of most cars — the impact takes the animal into the windscreen rather than under the bumper. That is the reason the Älgtest, the moose test, is named after them. On a motorcycle there is no bodywork argument to have; you simply cannot hit one.
When. Risk is highest between dusk and dawn, when animals move to feed. Two seasonal peaks stand out: May and June, when moose cows drive away their yearling calves and those young animals wander, and September and October during the rut, made worse by more people moving through the forest during hunting season. Snowy winters add a third pattern, because animals use salted roads.
Where. Forest with water on one side of the road, forest edges, clear-felled areas, and the points where wildlife fencing starts and stops. That last one matters: Sweden's threshold is that a road will not be fenced unless it experiences at least one moose accident per kilometre per year, so most rural roads have no fence at all, and where a fence ends, animals funnel around it.
Route at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Wildlife accidents, 2024 | more than 70,000 registered, a record; normal recent level 60,000 to 65,000; 44,243 in 2015 |
| By species | close to 50,000 roe deer, about 9,000 wild boar, about 5,600 moose |
| Human cost | roughly 800 people injured a year, about five killed; moose collisions cause most of the deaths |
| Peak risk | dusk to dawn; May–June and September–October |
| Reporting duty | collisions with moose, deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, wolverine, mouflon, bear, otter, wolf or eagle must be reported to the police on 112 and the site marked |
| Fencing threshold | a road is not fenced unless it has at least one moose accident per km per year |
| Vildmarksvägen | 360 km / 220 mile tourist route, Strömsund to Vilhelmina; the Stekenjokk plateau section is closed from mid-October to the beginning of June |
| E4 | 1,590 km / 990 miles through Sweden from the Finnish border at Haparanda to Helsingborg; motorway south of Gävle, mixed standard north of it |
For the best single route in the country, open the Strömsund to Vilhelmina directions and send them to your navigation app. That is Vildmarksvägen, the Wilderness Road.
Vildmarksvägen, the one to build a trip around
Vildmarksvägen runs 360 km / 220 miles from Strömsund in northern Jämtland to Vilhelmina in southern Lapland, by way of Gäddede, Jormvattnet, Stora Blåsjön, the Stekenjokk plateau, Klimpfjäll, Saxnäs and Kultsjön. It is locally called Stekenjokkvägen after the pass, and a section of it runs above the treeline — the highest stretch of paved public road in Sweden.
It is also seasonal in a way that catches people out. The Stekenjokk plateau section is closed from mid-October to the beginning of June, because snow there can reach seven metres deep. In recent seasons the full route has been signalled as open between early June and mid-October. Stekenjokk itself holds Sweden's record for sustained wind speed, 47 m/s recorded in November 2013, and an SMHI station there has recorded the coldest temperatures in the country. As of August 2026 that early-June to mid-October window is the pattern to plan around, but check the county administration or the road authority before you commit, because a late spring moves it.
What makes it worth the detour is not the elevation, it is the emptiness. The region the road crosses is roughly the size of Västra Götaland county but holds around 22,000 people, under one person per square kilometre. It also has the greatest concentration of bears in Sweden, the Hällingsåfallet waterfall with a 43 m drop into an 800 m canyon, and the Sami settlement of Fatmomakke. Because of the altitude, the plateau is largely free of mosquitoes, which is a serious selling point in July.
Getting north, and what to do with the light
The E4 is the backbone, running 1,590 km / 990 miles from Haparanda on the Finnish border down the Gulf of Bothnia through Gävle and Stockholm to Helsingborg. South of Gävle it is continuous motorway with limits of 110 or 120 km/h; north of Gävle it is a mix of single carriageway, 2+1 with a wire barrier, and occasional motorway, with 90, 100 and 110 km/h limits. It is efficient rather than enjoyable, and the High Coast section around the Högakustenbron is the one stretch that earns a stop.
The reason to accept that transit is what the summer light gives you back. North of the Arctic Circle the sun does not set for weeks around midsummer, and even in central Sweden in June there is usable light past midnight. That changes the shape of a riding day completely: you can sit out the dusk window when wildlife is moving, eat, and then ride from nine in the evening until one in the morning on empty roads in flat golden light. It is the single best thing about riding Scandinavia, and it is free.
Ferries and links
Sweden is a ferry country whether you like it or not. From Denmark, the Helsingør to Helsingborg crossing lands you directly on the E4, and there are crossings from Germany and Poland into Trelleborg and Ystad. Going east, ferries run from Stockholm and Kapellskär to Finland and the Åland Islands, which is the natural way to link a Swedish trip to Finnish Lapland. Going west, the mountain crossings from Jämtland and Härjedalen into Trøndelag are excellent riding in their own right.
Book bike space in advance for July. Motorcycles usually load first and are strapped down, so keep what you need for the crossing on you.
Practical information
Season. May to September for the south, June to early September for the mountains and the far north. As of August 2026, mountain roads including the Stekenjokk section of Vildmarksvägen typically open at the start of June and close from mid-October, and the exact dates move with snow. Check the road authority before planning around one.
If you hit an animal. Under the hunting ordinance you must report a collision with moose, deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, wolverine, mouflon, bear, otter, wolf or eagle to the police by calling 112, after warning other traffic and marking the spot. Failing to do so counts as leaving the scene and is a fineable offence. Marker tape for this purpose is handed out free by the wildlife accident council and most petrol stations. Reindeer are livestock, not game: notify the owner, and if the owner cannot be reached, the police.
A local sign to know. A black bin bag tied to a snow pole means reindeer may be in the area — herders use them to keep animals from scattering. If you see one, slow down.
Enforcement. Sweden takes speed seriously, with extensive fixed camera coverage on main roads and a low tolerance for excess. Drink-driving limits are among the strictest in Europe. Headlights on at all times is the norm and is required.
Fuel and services. Southern Sweden is well served. In the north and on the mountain roads, stations are far apart and many are unstaffed card-only pumps that can be temperamental with foreign cards. Carry a backup card and do not run a tank down on principle.
Charges. Sweden has no national road toll, but there are congestion charges in Stockholm and Gothenburg and tolls on a small number of bridges. Rules on whether motorcycles are liable have changed over time, so check the current position with the tax agency rather than assuming.
Gear notes
Swedish riding puts three specific demands on kit.
The first is seeing animals before they see you. Nothing replaces reducing speed at dawn and dusk and scanning the verges rather than the tarmac, looking for eye reflections in your headlight. Remember that where one animal crosses, more usually follow.
The second is navigation across long empty stretches. Mobile coverage in inland Norrland and on the mountain roads is patchy, and a detour around a closed section can add a hundred kilometres. A head unit with maps stored locally, such as the JADO S6 motorcycle riding system, is the sensible answer. If the category is unfamiliar, start with the plain explanation of a motorcycle riding system.
The third is temperature and power. Northern Sweden can go from 25 °C in the afternoon to single figures on an exposed plateau at midnight, which drops tyre pressure — see why tyre pressure drops in cold weather — and a Bluetooth TPMS sensor shows it while you ride. Long light means long days away from sockets, so a 100 W bi-directional fast charger keeps the phone and head unit running when you are riding past midnight.
FAQ
How likely is a moose collision in Sweden?
About 5,600 moose collisions are recorded a year out of more than 70,000 wildlife accidents in total. Roe deer are far more numerous in the statistics, but moose collisions cause most of the deaths, so the risk that matters is severity rather than frequency.
When is the moose risk highest?
Between dusk and dawn year round, with seasonal peaks in May and June, when cows drive away their yearling calves, and in September and October during the rut. Snowy winters add risk because animals walk on salted roads.
What must I do if I hit an animal?
Warn other traffic, mark the site, and call 112 to report it. That duty applies to moose, deer, roe deer, wild boar, lynx, wolverine, mouflon, bear, otter, wolf and eagle. Not reporting is treated as leaving the scene.
When is Vildmarksvägen open?
The Stekenjokk plateau section closes from mid-October to the beginning of June because of snow that can reach seven metres deep. In recent seasons the full 360 km route has been open from early June to mid-October. Check the current status before travelling.
Can you really ride at midnight in summer?
In the far north, yes, for weeks around midsummer, and in central Sweden there is usable light well past midnight in June. Riding late and resting through the dusk window is the standard way to handle both wildlife risk and traffic.
How does Sweden connect to the rest of Scandinavia?
By ferry to Denmark, Germany, Poland, Finland and Åland, and by road into Norway at many points. The mountain crossings from Jämtland into Trøndelag are among the best riding on either side of the border.
Sources
- Nationella Viltolycksrådet statistics — statistik.viltolycka.se/statistik/
- Record year for wildlife accidents, Riksförbundet M Sverige, October 2025 — msverige.se
- Viltolyckor i Sverige, Swedish Wikipedia — sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viltolyckor_i_Sverige
- Moose, Wikipedia (population and vehicle collisions) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose
- Vildmarksvägen and Stekenjokk, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vildmarksvägen
