BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
Helsinki achieved something remarkable: a full year without a single traffic fatality. City and police officials confirmed the milestone this week, noting that the last fatal accident took place in early July 2024 in the Kontula district.
Authorities say such a stretch is unprecedented. “A lot of factors contributed to this, but speed limits are one of the most important,” explained Roni Utriainen, a traffic engineer with the city’s Urban Environment Division.
Slower speeds, safer streets
More than half of Helsinki’s streets now have a 30 km/h limit, a major shift from fifty years ago, when most were set at 50 km/h. Earlier this summer, the city decided to lower limits near schools to 30 km/h, with the change taking effect as the new academic year begins.
The reasoning is straightforward: slower speeds greatly reduce both the likelihood and severity of accidents.
Design, enforcement, and transit
Better street design has also played a major role. Helsinki has invested heavily in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, created safer intersections, and added more crosswalk protections. Partnerships with traffic police have intensified, supported by a growing network of cameras and automated enforcement systems.
“Public transport in Helsinki is excellent, which reduces car use, and with it, the number of serious accidents,” Utriainen noted. Advances in vehicle technology have further boosted safety across all forms of personal transport.
The results go beyond fatalities. Over the past year, there were 277 injury-causing accidents in Helsinki. This is far fewer than the late 1980s, when the city regularly saw nearly 1,000 such incidents annually and up to 30 traffic deaths.
Decades of progress
The achievement is part of a long-term trend. The city’s current traffic safety strategy (2022–2026) focuses on protecting children, youth, pedestrians, and cyclists, using data-driven tools to plan safer crosswalks, improve intersections, and monitor traffic patterns.
“The direction has been positive for years,” Utriainen said, pointing out that 2019 also saw zero pedestrian deaths in Helsinki. He emphasized that credit belongs to everyone on the road— motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.
Adapting to new challenges
One recent safety concern has been the rapid rise of electric scooters. “They became popular around five years ago, somewhat unexpectedly. But since then, many solutions have been put in place,” Utriainen explained.
Helsinki’s success aligns with the European Union’s “Vision Zero” policy, which aims for no traffic deaths by 2050. While the target may sound ambitious, Utriainen said it shapes daily decision-making: “We aim to assess all our decisions based on their long-term impact.”
