For the first time in its modern history, this August, Finland’s capital, Helsinki, went an entire year without a single traffic fatality. City officials confirmed that the Finnish capital, home to nearly 690,000 residents and a metropolitan population of 1.5 million, last recorded a road death in July 2024.
The achievement, remarkable for a European capital, highlights how a combination of strict speed enforcement, smarter city planning, and long-term policy commitments can save lives.
Safer Streets Through Lower Speeds
Helsinki’s traffic safety turnaround has been closely linked to speed reductions introduced in 2021. Limits were lowered to 30 kilometers per hour in most residential neighborhoods and the city center, with additional restrictions placed around schools earlier this year.
“A lot of factors contributed to this, but speed limits are one of the most important,” said a traffic engineer with Helsinki’s Urban Environment Division. Research shows that reducing impact speed from 40 km/h to 30 km/h halves the risk of pedestrian fatality.
The city installed more than 70 new speed cameras to enforce the rules. Today, 60 fixed control points remain active, particularly on roads with higher limits. Police handle enforcement, while the city builds and maintains the camera infrastructure.
Vision Zero in Action
The success builds on Finland’s national ‘Vision Zero’ policy, which aims for zero road fatalities or serious injuries by 2050. While Oslo famously achieved the same in 2019, Helsinki is now among the largest European cities to replicate the feat.
City officials stress that Vision Zero is not just about enforcement, but redesign. Streets have been narrowed, trees planted, and intersections reshaped to force drivers into more cautious behavior.
According to city data, traffic-related injuries in Helsinki plummeted from 727 in 2003 to just 14 in 2023.
Building a City for People, Not Cars
Alongside speed controls, Helsinki has invested heavily in public transport and cycling. The city now maintains a 1,500-kilometer cycling network and continues to expand tram lines with support from the European Investment Bank.
Decarbonized buses, including self-driving models, are reshaping mobility. Officials say these improvements encourage residents to leave cars at home, cutting down both congestion and accidents.
“We wanted to reduce car use and, with it, the number of serious accidents,” the traffic engineer explained.
Data-Driven Urban Planning
Helsinki’s Traffic Safety Development Programme relies heavily on feedback loops. Planners analyze crash data, driving speeds, and resident complaints to identify blackspots, then redesign streets accordingly.
Traffic control centers monitor flows in real time through sensors and cameras. Experts believe this systematic approach is key to preventing accidents before they happen.
“You have to take a lot of factors into account. That makes road safety very complex,” said Hagen Schüller, a transport engineer at PTV Transport Consult in Berlin.
Europe’s Road Safety Challenge
While road deaths across the EU fell by 3 percent in 2024, accidents remain a leading cause of urban fatalities. That year, 7,807 people died in EU city traffic, including 55 in Berlin and nine in Brussels alone.
By comparison, Helsinki recorded only four deaths in 2024 before reaching its zero-fatality milestone. Its fatality rate — 0.59 per 100,000 people — was among the lowest in Europe.
Lessons for Other Cities
Helsinki’s breakthrough offers a blueprint for mid-sized capitals worldwide. Cities seeking similar results can consider:
- Lower speed limits in residential and school areas.
- Strict enforcement through speed cameras and targeted policing.
- Urban redesign with narrower streets, green barriers, and safer crossings.
- Expanded public transport to reduce private car dependence.
- Data-driven planning that responds to crash patterns and citizen feedback.
As the traffic engineer put it, the goal is simple but ambitious: “Only reducing speed limits is not a sufficient measure, but it is still important.” For Helsinki, the combination has proven life-saving.
Watch a video here:
@worldeconomicforum Is this city one of the safest places in the world to cross the road? #Helsinki has just gone 12 months without a single traffic death – thanks in large part to a multi-year project to improve traffic safety. Here’s what that programme involved. To best serve urban residents, #transport planning should be embedded within the social and physical fabric of cities. The concept of ‘place-based mobility’ can help do this, and it’s one of the approaches championed by the Davos Baukultur Alliance, an initiative dedicated to fostering sustainable, vibrant and resilient cities. Find out more at the link in our bio
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