The number of fatalities in traffic has been decreasing steadily since 1990. The number of individuals injured in traffic has also decreased, but not to the same extent. At the same time the motor vehicle fleet has increased.
The number of injuries is thus relatively lower today because of targeted traffic safety work and the development of increasingly safer cars. Personal injuries can involve complex investigations with long settlement times and compen-sations paid out over a long period of time (known as injury annuities).
The statistics presented here are based on data reported to insurance com-panies within the framework of mandatory motor third-party liability insur-ance. They show that in 2023, 192 people were killed and nearly 26,000 peo-ple were injured in traffic accidents. In two out of three cases, the accidents occurred either while the person was traveling in or was hit by privately-owned passenger cars.
Over the past 10-year period, the number of fatalities has decreased from 285 people to 192 people, representing a 33 per cent reduction. During the same period, the number of injured individuals has decreased from 34,000 people to just under 26,000 people, a reduction of 25 per cent.
Motor third-party liability insurance, which is mandatory for all motor vehi-cles driven in traffic, provides compensation for personal injuries and dam-ages to other vehicles in the event of an accident. It can also cover certain damages to road barriers and lampposts, for example.
When a person suffers a personal injury after a traffic accident and the inju-ries are severe enough to result in the person being on sick leave from work, it may be possible to receive compensation from the insurance for the loss of income that arises. The income loss is calculated based on the difference be-tween the income that the injured party would have had if they had not been injured and the actual income they have after the accident. Compensation for income loss is paid out continuously (known as a life annuity). Depending on the duration and severity of the injury, it may also entitle the injured party to compensation for pension losses. Injury annuities are usually paid out for life to the injured person.
In 2022, injury annuities for personal injuries in traffic amounted to nearly 31 billion SEK for injuries that occurred up until and including 2022. Of the total amount, 6 per cent (2 billion SEK) accounted for injuries that occurred in 2022, while the rest were injuries that occurred many years ago. The total amount paid out per year has decreased since 2016 in line with the decrease in the number of injured individuals in traffic. The reduction amounts to 35 per cent (16 billion SEK).
