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.
Such a target would bring the rate of fatalities more in line with those seen in Sweden, Norway, and the UK, which respectively have death rates that almost half the level seen in Finland, according to data from the European Transport Safety Council.
Finland’s road traffic deaths in 2018 put the rate of fatalities at around 40 people per one million inhabitants, similar to the death rate seen in Italy and the Czech Republic. Norway has the lowest level of fatalities in the EU, with around 20 per million inhabitants.
According to the statistics, travelling by car was the most dangerous mode of transport in 2018, with over 60% of all road traffic deaths being caused by cars.
Adam Oliver Smith – HT
Image: Lehtikuva
