Children driving on Swedish roads - 21st April 2023

At the young age of 15, Evelina can drive this BMW. An old law in Sweden lets children who are 15 or more drive. They can travel on the roads without the need for a driving licence. But they can't go faster than 30 kilometres an hour.

Evelina uses her car to go to school and meet up with friends.

Evelina Christiansen: "Yeah, so, here in the back, I have a bass. So, when we have all these meetings with my friends I usually play this when I open this. So, it's high music. I think it's like driving a normal car because this is very much like, you see, the other cars and I think it's just, you learn quickly."

These slower vehicles, which are known as A-traktors, were first used in the countryside. They were common when times were hard and people couldn't afford a new truck.

Nowadays, being able to create your own car is popular with teenagers everywhere. Ronja Löfgren is an A-traktor driver.

Ronja Löfgren: "We've rebuilt the front bumper. Here it is, "Made by my dad" and we've put new wheel guards on, however we took the rear axle from my dad's old truck."

Oskar Flyman's job involves changing cars into A-traktors. He explains that it's more than just a speed issue.

Oskar Flyman: "This is an A-traktor. We have attached this, the warning triangle, we've attached the towing hook that you have to have. We've limited the amount of space in the back so you can't load more people or cargo and we have also put limits to the engine so that it only goes at 30 kilometres per hour."

Some people are less keen. There's been a big increase in road accidents. The European Commission's now hoping to introduce new laws.

But with 50,000 A-traktors on the road, it won't be easy to persuade teenagers to give them up. The vehicles make them feel independent and free.