Helsinki has not recorded a single fatality in the past 12 months, the city authorities announced this week.

While fatal accidents are still commonplace in most European capitals – Berlin alone saw 55 deaths in 2023, and Brussels saw nine in the past year – the Finnish capital, with a population of just under 700,000 (and nearly 1.5 million in the metropolitan area), has managed to take road safety to an incredible level.

According to Ronni Utriainen, a transport engineer at the Urban Environment Directorate, speed reduction is a key factor in this success. From 2021, a 30 km/h speed limit will be imposed in the city centre and residential areas, based on statistics that show that the probability of a fatal pedestrian collision is halved at this speed. The measure is backed by 70 new speed cameras and strict policing, as part of the national Vision Zero strategy – aiming for zero deaths and serious injuries on the road.

Data from the Finnish road safety agency Liikenneturva show that from 2003 to 2023, the number of road accident victims in Helsinki fell from 727 to just 14, Politico reported.

The city has also invested heavily in infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists – the network of cycle paths exceeds 1,500 kilometres. In addition, public transport has been expanded with decentralized, low-carbon and autonomous buses, and a new tram line is being built with the help of the European Investment Bank.

“We have reduced car traffic and with it the number of serious accidents,” Utriainen emphasizes, adding that the key is a long-term, data-driven mobility policy that transforms Helsinki from a car-centric capital into a model for sustainable urban environments.

The Finnish capital’s success is already attracting attention in Brussels, where the European Commission is aiming to halve road fatalities by 2030. But, as European Commissioner for Transport Apostolos Tsitsikostas acknowledged, most member states are lagging behind the target — unlike Helsinki, which is already showing that the vision of “zero fatalities” can be a reality. | BGNES