Police to intensify traffic safety watch

The police will conduct a nationwide special monitoring operation focusing on the use of safety devices in the car, and factors causing inattention in traffic from 8 March to 14 March, said an official press release.

Monitoring of driver inattention will focus on activities and factors that affect the driver’s concentration on driving or observation of other traffic.

“Typically, inattention to traffic is due to the use of phones while driving. The risk of a traffic accident increases many times over, if drivers make phone calls or write text messages while driving,” said National Police Board Chief Superintendent Timo Ajaste.

According to an estimate by the European Commission, inattention is one of the contributing risk factors in 10–30 per cent of traffic accidents.

Data in the 2019 annual report by the Finnish Crash Data Institute (OTI) reveals that almost one half (45%) of those who died in traffic accidents when travelling in a car or van, were not wearing a seat belt.

Road accident investigation teams have estimated that one out of three (21%) casualties of fatal road accidents would have survived had their seatbelts been secured.

“According to a follow-up study by Liikenneturva - Finnish Road Safety Council, the utilisation rate of seatbelts is quite high in the front seat of passenger cars. However, seat belts are too often left unsecured on the back seats of passenger cars and vans. The aim of the police is the comprehensive use of seat belts to make use of the full safety potential that seatbelts provide,” said Ajaste.

Ajaste points out that special attention must be paid to the safety of children in vehicles.