Helsinki: zero deaths in road accidents thanks to 30 km/h speed limit

Helsinki has not recorded a single fatal traffic accident in the past 12 months, municipal officials and police in the Finnish capital have confirmed, local media report. The most recent fatal accident in the city occurred at the beginning of July 2024 in Keinulaudantie, in the district of Kontula. The authorities describe the situation as exceptional.

"There are many contributing factors, but the imposed speed limits are one of the most important," said Roni Utriainen, traffic engineer at the city's Urban Environment Division. According to Utriainen, more than half of Helsinki's streets now have a speed limit of 30 km/h.

Fifty years ago, the limit was 50 km/h. At the beginning of this summer, local authorities also decided to lower speed limits near schools to 30 km/h, a measure that will come into effect with the start of the school year. Road and traffic planning has also played a key role: pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure has been significantly improved in recent years. More cameras and automated control systems have also been installed.

"Public transport in Helsinki is excellent, which reduces the use of cars and, consequently, the number of serious accidents," Utriainen noted. But vehicle technology has also improved, making both cars and other means of personal transport safer.

The positive trend does not stop at the number of fatalities: last year in Helsinki there were 277 road accidents with injuries, in stark contrast to the almost 1,000 accidents with injuries recorded annually at the end of the 1980s, when road fatalities in the city averaged close to 30 per year. The number of people killed on the roads in Helsinki is not the only one.