A year without a fatal road accident in the capital of a European country

Road fatalities are falling across the European Union, with a 3 percent drop in 2024. In 2023, 7,807 people died on the streets of European cities. For example, Berlin recorded 55 fatalities, and Warsaw 29.

Although Helsinki is one of the smaller EU capitals in terms of population – around 690,000 – the metropolitan area encompasses around 1.5 million people who live or commute to work there.

The source of success: lowered speed limits

Roni Utriainen, a traffic engineer with the city's Department of the Environment, pointed out that many factors contributed to this success, but lowered speed limits played a key role. Since 2021, most residential areas and the city center have seen a 30 km/h speed limit instead of 40 km/h. Data shows that the risk of a pedestrian being fatally struck at 30 km/h is half that of a pedestrian at 40 km/h.

To enforce the new regulations, 70 new speed cameras have been installed, and police operations are coordinated under the nationwide "Vision Zero" policy, which aims to completely eliminate fatal and serious road accidents. According to data from the Finnish Road Safety Institute (Liikenneturva), the number of fatalities in Helsinki has been steadily declining for several years.

Urban investments: Public transport and bicycle paths

Furthermore, the city has invested significantly in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, creating a network of cycle paths totaling over 1,500 kilometers. It is also developing public transport, using modern, low-emission, and autonomous buses, and, with support from the European Investment Bank, a new tram line is being built.

Thanks to these measures, the number of people using cars is decreasing, which directly translates into fewer serious accidents. Statistics show that between 2003 and 2023, the number of people injured in road accidents in Helsinki fell from 727 to just 14.

Helsinki's success is drawing the attention of the European Commission, which is increasingly pushing other EU member states to further reduce road deaths. Earlier this year, Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas admitted that most countries are not on track to meet the EU's 2018 target of halving road deaths by 2030.