Higher number of road mishap victims are vulnerable users

So far this year, vulnerable road users (pedestrians and two-wheeler operators) have accounted for 34.8% of road traffic fatalities, said the National Police Board in a press release on Monday.

Statistics published by Statistics Finland showed that so far this year (incidents of which the Police are aware) around 330 cyclists (21 fewer than in 2020), 144 pedestrians (28 fewer than in 2020) and 210 moped riders (eight more than in 2020) have been injured this year in road traffic.

In 2019, vulnerable road users accounted for 58.7% of serious injuries.

“This is why the safety of these road users must constantly be the focus of road safety work. During the control day, the Police will aim particularly to prevent accidents,” said Chief Superintendent of the National Police Board Heikki Kallio.

The Police are to supervise road user safety in traffic on Wednesday by focusing control on drivers of motorised and light e-vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists and their behaviour in road traffic.

During the control day, the Police will intervene in stopping and parking that inconveniences and endangers the mobility of vulnerable road users. Control will focus on compliance with the rules at traffic lights, light e-vehicle drivers driving on the pavement, cyclists riding on pavement, pedestrians as well as on violations of give-way rules at pedestrian crossings and road junctions by all road users.

Control of give-way rules at junctions will focus mainly motor-driven vehicles.

“The objective is to improve road safety especially at pedestrian crossings and continuations of cycle lanes, which statistics show to be a dangerous spots. This means that during the control day, the Police will intervene also in stopping and parking that inconveniences and endangers the mobility of vulnerable road users,” said Kallio.

“It should be pointed out, however, that the Police are not made aware of all accidents involving cyclists, especially so-called single accidents, where there are no other parties involved and so these are not recorded in the official statistics. This means the number of injuries is higher than the so-called official statistics,” Kallio added.

Kallio said that the Police will mostly intervene in cases where a vehicle is illegally parked or parked on a pavement, pedestrian crossing, cycle path or lane. Parking control will take place together with the municipal parking control authorities.