Zero pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in Helsinki in 2019
Finland’s capital is proud to report that no pedestrians or cyclists were killed in Helsinki road traffic last year. The year 2019 was the first year with no pedestrian or cyclist fatalities since 1960, when statistics on road traffic deaths in the city began to be recorded.
The number of traffic fatalities in Helsinki has been steadily decreasing in recent years, with the annual average falling to seven in the 2010s. Up to 30 fatalities a year were still being reported in Helsinki in the 1980s and early 1990s, and more years than not, pedestrians made up the largest number of victims. The worst year on record was in 1965, when 84 people died in Helsinki traffic.
“Enhanced traffic safety is the sum of several factors. Traffic safety has improved due to improvements to the street environment, increased traffic control, the development of vehicle safety measures and technology, and better rescue services. Reducing speed limits has also been a key factor,” says Deputy Mayor Anni Sinnemäki.
Helsinki speed limits have been lowered consistently since the 1970s. The speed limit in most residential areas and the city centre is currently 30 km/h, rising to 40 km/h on major thoroughfares and 50 km/h in suburban areas.
Only three people died in Helsinki road traffic in 2019 - one motorist and two motorcyclists. This low number has been matched one other time in the city’s history, in 2016. No children were among last year’s fatalities. Helsinki is the second Nordic capital to report this landmark in 2019, as Oslo made a similar announcement earlier this year.
Safe traffic environment boosts quality of life
Helsinki has recently placed highly in several international rankings assessing quality of life. In January 2020, the German relocation firm Movinga named Helsinki “The Best City in the World for Families” from a field of 150 family-friendly locations. Their assessment was based on data from the OECD and the EU data agency Eurostat, among others.
“A safe city environment is one clear way to improve quality of life. For instance, the vast majority of Helsinki’s children are free to travel to school and free-time activities on their own. This gives families more leeway to plan their day-to-day lives, and ensures that kids are getting the daily exercise they need,” Sinnemäki says.
Helsinki is the capital of Finland and the bustling centre of the larger Helsinki Region, a dynamic urban metropolis of about 1.5 million inhabitants.
More information:
Data from Statistics Finland on traffic accidents
Appendices (below): Graph, Road traffic deaths in Helsinki (1960–2019)
Contact information
Anni Sinnemäki
Deputy Mayor for Urban Environment
City of Helsinki
Tel. +358 9 310 36010
E-mail anni.sinnemaki@hel.fi
Requests for interviews:
Senior Political Adviser Julianna Kentala, julianna.kentala@hel.fi
This pressrelease was sent by:
Maisa Hopeakunnas
Communications specialist, Helsinki City Executive Office
maisa.hopeakunnas@hel.fi
Tel. +358 9 310 27 821