GOVERNMENT SPOKESPEOPLEhave again reiterated the importance of exercising caution when it comes to using fireworks, ahead of one of the busiest nights of the year for emergency services in Finland.

The divisional officer of the Länsi-Uudenman Rescue Services, Riku Rantala, has warned New Year’s Eve revelers to avoid using fireworks if intoxicated, saying that “if you’re too drunk to read the instructions on a packet of fireworks, you shouldn’t be using them at all”. 

STATISTIC RELEASED BY FICORA, A BRANCH OF THE MINISTRY FOR TRANSPORT, reveal that the number of road deaths in Finland remains amongst the highest of any Northern European country.

The number of road traffic accidents estimated to have occurred in 2018 has been set at around 230-240, although the precise figure is yet to be released. This is a decrease on the previous year, although still far short of the Finnish government’s target of 136 road deaths per year.