No pedestrian killed in Helsinki last year

No pedestrian fatality took place in road traffic in Helsinki in 2019, said the City of Helsinki in a press release based on preliminary statistics.

The release said, “Precise statistics on accidents have been kept since 1960, and during this time there have been zero years in which there were no pedestrian lives lost in traffic.”

The release however said, “When it comes to all methods of travel, the accident statistics are not as good: in 2019, three people died in traffic in Helsinki – one car driver and two motorcyclists.”

It said, “It should be noted that this is the best year in the period under review, with the exception of 2016, when three people also died in road mishaps.”

According to the release, more than 400 people were injured in traffic in Helsinki in 2019, almost 80 of whom were pedestrians. Many less serious injuries are never reported to the police, which may affect the statistics. Pedestrians slipping and falling are not recorded as traffic accidents.”

The statistics show the number of people who have died in traffic in Helsinki has decreased significantly over the past few decades. In the 1980s and up until the beginning of the 1990s, there were approximately 20 to 30 deaths each year. After this, the number of deaths started to decline significantly.

In the 2010s, on an average seven people a year died in traffic in Helsinki. Most of the fatalities have been pedestrians. In the course of the current practice of recording statistics, the worst year was 1965, in which 84 people died in traffic accidents in the city.

“The improvement in traffic safety is the sum of several factors. Traffic safety has improved due to betterments to the street environment, increasing traffic control, the development of vehicle safety measures and technology, and the development of rescue services. Reducing speed limits has also been a key factor,” said City of Helsinki Traffic Engineer Jussi Yli-Seppälä.

Helsinki decided to lower speed limits in 2018, and the new limits took force last year.

The city will start installing 70 new traffic control cameras and making alterations aimed at improving the safety of pedestrian crossings in the most dangerous locations this year.