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Where there is a will there is a way, and when it comes to teenagers you can bet they will find a way around most rules, even in the socialist utopia of Sweden.

Scandinavian teenagers have found a century-old loophole that allows them to drive any vehicle that is governed for a maximum speed of 30 kilometres per hour.

The original intent of the law was to help out farmers during the 1930 depession era and allowed any vehicle to be modified so as to fall under the ‘A-traktor’ category which deals with farming equipment.

Source: Flickr

Following the depression, farmers in the country could finally afford proper farming equipment, but the law remained intact and almost forgotten.

In the 1950s, as the economy prospered, real tractors became more common and the need for these homestyled vehicles began to subside. But in the countryside, young people without a licence were happy to use them to get around, especially in areas without much public transport.

According to IOL, these modified ‘farm equipment’ have now become all the rage among young Swedes as they can legally drive their ‘Traktor ‘, as long as they stick to modified speed, sport a towing hook, and have a big old ‘A’ logo on the back – indicating agriculture.

The result is an increase in ‘normal’ cars crawling along the highways.

For many rural teenagers, the A-traktor symbolises their dream of independence. It is also the focus of a growing subculture focused on customised cars and a new music genre hugely popular in Sweden called “EPA Dunk”.

Because teenagers cannot help themselves, there are now even five-ton trucks being converted into these not-so-hotrods.

17-year-old Ronja Lofgren is one of the adolescents that have a refurbished truck with a gleaming red-and-blue paint job and lots of headlights. The motto “Queen of the Road” is emblazoned on the front and “Go with style” on the back.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

This new form of freedom has caused some discontent among the older generation, and lawmakers and insurers are concerned about a fivefold increase in accidents involving ‘A-traktors’ in the last five years. It would seem that even at 30km/h, kids still manage to screw it up. Injuries due to accidents have claimed to 200 per year and there were four deaths in 2022 alone.

For many though, the new trend means business opportunities and all over Sweden there are now garages specifically to modify any vehicle in order to fall within the ‘farming equipment’ category, even BMWs and Porsches.

A typical conversion will cost you about 25 000 kronor (R46 000), a typical ‘A-traktor’ costing around 30 000 kronor (R53 000).

So far authorities have amended laws to compel the use of safety belts and snow tyres, but we reckon with the teens taking to the roads en mass in their modified John Deere’s, it’s only a matter of time before the adult put a stop to their fun.

It would be a shame though. Nothing says millennial like driving to school in a pimped-out Lexion 8 900 combine harvester with its 17 000 litre grain tank.

Can you doughnut a 23-ton harvester at 30km/h?

[source:iol]