Road Safety Finland

Road safety
situation and
policies in
Finland
PIARC Technical Commitee C.1
The Sixth Meeting in Birmingham
1.11.2010
Jaakko Klang,
Assist: Kati Niukkanen

1.11.2010 / Jaakko Klang / PIARC
Technical Committee C.1 Road safety situation and policies in Finland 2
Jaakko Klang
my job is Traffic safety engineer
I am responsible for two provinces on road
safety issues (690 000 inhabitants)
my employer is Centre for Economic
Development, Transport and the
Environment
C.1 WG4 – Improvements in Safe working
on Roads, my job is to draw up a
checklist for road work
Road technical member of accident
investigation comisson
my father died in a traffic accident when I
was 14 years old
3 daughters, B-license instruction permit
hobbys: transporting children to their
hobbies, fitness sport and repair old house

Finland
Facts about Finland
77% is forest and 10% lakes and
inland waterways.
Built-up land is only 4%
parliamentary republic
5.3 million inhabitants
600 automobiles/1000 inhabitants
under female command

Centres for Economic
Development, Transport and the
Environment is responsible for
the public roads in Finland
Road network and traffic
Total road network 454 000 km: 78
000 km highways, 26 000 km are
streets and 350 000 km private
roads
700 km are motorways
pedestrian and bicycle routes 5 000
km
65% are paved, rest gravel
busiest 10% of network carries 65%
of traffic
Road network carries 95%
passenger traffic and 65% goods
traffic

1. Introduction
The road transport system
must be designed
so that nobody should die
or be seriously injured
on the roads.

2. Road safety
as part of
transport
policy
Transport and Communications comprise
three focal areas:
securing the smooth flow of traffic and
the efficient functioning of transport
services
promoting road safety
reducing environmental impacts.

Killed in road traffic accidents and some safety measures 1970Killed in road traffic accidents and some safety measures 1970 --
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Compulsory seat
belt installation -
front seats (1971)
Source: Statistics Finland & Central Organization for traffic safety in Finland – situation 31.4.2008
Differentiated
speed limits on
main roads
5250 km;
DRL (1973)
Limits for drunk
driving at 0,5
and 1,5 per
mille (1977)
Comp. use of seat
belts in front
seats (1975)
Use of safety
helmet mandatory
for motorcyclists
(1977)
Non-use of seat belts
liable for punishment
Safety helmets mand.
for mopedists (1982)
Mandatory use of
seat belts in back
seats and vans
(1987)
II Parliamentary
Committee (1991)
Amended rules for
pedestrians, bicyclists and
mopedists;
Daytime running lights (DRL)
also in urban areas (1997)
Speed limits for winter
time (1991)
Hands-free law
(2003)
I Parliamentary
Committee (1973)
Compulsory seat
belt installation -
back seats (1981)
Upper drunk-driving limit
lowered to 1,2 (1994)
General speed
limit 80 km/h
(1974)
General urban
speed limit 50 km/h
and first phase of
winter time speed
limits (1987)
Mandatory use of
winter tires (1978)

3. Road safety
situation and
targets
The road safety improvement targets are:
1. Continuous reduction of the number of fatalities
and serious injuries in road traffic.
2. No more than 200 (3,7 death/100 000
inhabitants) road traffic fatalities per year by
2015.
3. No more than 100 (1,7 death/100 000
inhabitants) road traffic fatalities per year by
2025.

3.1 Road safety situation in relation to the targets
2009: 279 = 5,3 d/100 000 i
Target 2010: < 250 = 4,7 d/100 000 i

3.2 Traffic fatalities and
injuries

3.3 Finland’s road safety in international
comparisons
6,5

3.4 Traffic behaviour
0,0
5,0
10,0
15,0
20,0
25,0
30,0
35,0
40,0
45,0
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Number of
accidents
Driver's age
Accidents
Risk
Accidents / 100 000
driving licensesAccidentAccident riskrisk // driver’sdriver’s ageage

4. The operating
environment
and its
challenges
Traffic growth trends
Economic development
New technology
Demographic changes

5. Means for improving safety

5.1 Head-on collisions on main
roads

5.2 Pedestrian and cyclist
accidents in built-up areas

5.3 Accidents involving the influence
of drink or drugs

5.4 Accidents involving professional
drivers

5.5 Excessive driving speeds
1. Pedestrian or
cyclist
2. Side collision
3. Frontal or hard
object collision
1 2 3
Fatality risk
Collision speed

5.6 Alleviating the consequences of
traffic accidents

5.7 Other problems and measures

Thank you

Road Safety Finland

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