Police to monitor safety equipment rules in traffic

The police will conduct a nationwide special monitoring operation during this week from Monday to Sunday (4–10 April) to focus on the use of safety devices and factors that cause driver inattention in traffic, said the National Police Board in a press release.

A typical cause of inattention is driver’s use of a handheld mobile phone while driving. In most cases, the activities of passenger car drivers require intervention, but the same ban applies to all drivers of motor vehicles and trams, said police.

“Using a mobile while driving raises the risk of accidents at all times. It is particularly dangerous to look away from the road while driving, for example to write a message,” said Chief Superintendent of the National Police Board Tuomo Katajisto.

The driver is responsible for the use of children’s safety devices

Data in the 2020 annual report by the Finnish Crash Data Institute (OTI) revealed that 131 persons travelling in a passenger car or van died in traffic accidents, and 61 of them were not wearing a seat belt.

Road accident investigation teams have estimated that 26 of the casualties 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, there is more room for improvement in the use of seat belts on the back seat of passenger cars and in vans. The police aims at achieving comprehensive use of seat belts,” said Katajisto.

During the monitoring operation, special attention will be paid to the use of children’s safety devices. Katajisto pointed out that unless the child’s guardian is travelling in the same car, the driver is responsible for the use of children’s safety devices.