Statistics on road traffic accidents: documentation of statistics
The documentation of the statistics describes how the statistics were compiled and what methods were used in the compilation. The data help interpret the figures of the statistics and evaluate their reliability and comparability. The quality report is based on the EU's SIMS model. The documentation also contains change releases describing changes in the statistics and possible specifying methodological descriptions.
If you are looking for statistical figures for these statistics, go to the statistics page: Statistics on road traffic accidents
Quality report
Data description (SIMS 3.1)
The statistics on road traffic accidents contain data on road traffic accidents involving personal injury and on parties involved in them. The data are based on road traffic accidents known to the police. The data are published monthly.
Sector coverage (SIMS 3.3)
The statistics on road traffic accidents cover road traffic accidents involving personal injury recorded in the information system of the police.
Statistical unit (SIMS 3.5)
Units used in road traffic accident statistics:
- Deaths in road traffic accidents
- Injured in road traffic accidents (incl. seriously injured)
- Seriously injured in road traffic accidents
- Personal injury accidents in road traffic
- Fatal road traffic accidents
- Road traffic accidents resulting in injuries (incl. serious injuries)
- Road traffic accidents resulting in serious injuries
Statistical population (SIMS 3.6)
An event resulting in personal injury that has occurred in an area intended for public transport according to the Road Traffic Act or used generally for traffic and involving at least one moving vehicle is regarded as a road traffic accident recorded in the official statistics.
In addition to vehicles defined in the Road Traffic Act, trams and trains in level crossing accidents are also counted as vehicles. A pedestrian falling is not a traffic accident. Falling on a bicycle (=a vehicle) is.
Reference area (SIMS 3.7)
The statistics on road traffic accidents cover regionally the whole of Finland. The regional classification is by the most recent published year.
Time coverage (SIMS 3.8)
Data have been published since 1931. The latest preliminary data concern the data for the month preceding the time of release.
Unit of measure (SIMS 4)
The measurement unit of the data in the statistics on traffic accidents is number.
Reference period (SIMS 5)
The reference period of statistics is a calendar year and month.
Classifications (SIMS 3.2)
The statistics are compiled by all regional divisions based on municipalities, such as the whole country, region, sub-regional unit and municipality.
Concepts and definitions (SIMS 3.4)
Alcohol-related case
An accident in which the driver of the vehicle of some party or a pedestrian has been proven (by a blood test reading of at least 0.5 per mille or a breathalyser test result of exhalation containing at least 0.22 milligrams of alcohol per one litre of air) or is suspected on strong grounds to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
Coach
A vehicle manufactured for the transportation of people. Space for 8 or more persons in addition to the driver.
Drink-driving case
An accident in which the driver of a motor vehicle has been proven (by a blood test reading of at least 0.5 per mille or a breathalyser test result of exhalation containing at least 0.22 milligrams of alcohol per one litre of air) or is suspected on strong grounds to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
Fatal accident
An accident in which a person involved has died within 30 days from the accident as a consequence of the accident, excluding deaths from acute fits of illness.
Passenger car
Road motor vehicle, other than a moped or a motor cycle, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine persons (including the driver).
Pedestrian
A person travelling on foot, roller skates, skateboard, skis, kick-sledge or similar.
Person injured in an accident
A person who has not died in an accident (or within 30 days of it), but has sustained in the accident injuries which require medical care or observation in hospital, treatment at home (sick leave) or surgical treatment, such as stitches. If a person has sustained bruises, scratches or the like that do not require aforementioned treatment, he/she is not regarded as injured.
Person involved in an accident
Persons involved in an accident refer to the drivers of vehicles and pedestrians involved in an accident, and passengers killed or injured in the accident. An animal is party to an accident involving animals.
Person killed in an accident
A person who has died as a consequence of an accident within 30 days from the accidents, excluding deaths from acute fits of illness.
Road traffic accident
An event having lead to personal injury or damage to property that has taken place in an area intended for public transport or generally used for transport and in which at least one of the involved parties has been a moving vehicle. In addition to the vehicles specified in the Road Traffic Act, such party can also be a tram and in level crossing accidents a train. The falling down of a pedestrian is not a traffic accident, but that of a rider of a bicycle (= vehicle) is.
Seriously injured in road accident
A person who has not died in an accident (or within 30 days of it), but has sustained in the accident injuries which require medical care or observation in a care institution, and who has visited a doctor within six days of the accident, and the injuries are classified as serious in accordance with the AIS Abbreviated Injury Scale (AAAM, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine).
Tractor
A vehicle specifically designed for agricultural and forestry work to run implements of haul trailers coupled to it. Special forestry machines such as logging tractors or forwarders, or forestry machines built on earthmoving machines are not classified as tractors but as motorised work machines.
Trailer
A trailer of a motor vehicle is a hauled vehicle constructed for the transportation of goods or for tourism purposes.
Institutional mandate (SIMS 6)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
Legal acts and other agreements (SIMS 6.1)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
Data sharing (SIMS 6.2)
Statistics Finland also maintains the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's data on road traffic accidents. At the request of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Statistics Finland releases data only to those parties for whom the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency grants a user licence and for whom the police have granted a permission to release the data in Statistics Finland's data permission.
The statistics on road traffic accidents serve the monitoring of the traffic safety situation nationally and internationally. The data of the statistics are used as bases for traffic safety measures and traffic planning, for example. On the national level, the users are ministries, central agencies and transport sector organisations, on the local level mainly municipalities.
Internationally, the data are delivered to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the OECD’s International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) and the European Union’s database on road accidents CARE, which is based on a Council Decision (93/704/EC).
Cost and burden (SIMS 16)
The obligation to provide data related to the compilation of the statistics is based on the Statistics Act and its Section 14. According to the Act: “Notwithstanding the provisions on secrecy, state authorities shall be obliged to provide Statistics Finland with such data in their possession that are necessary for the production of statistics, as well as with data on their own activities, finances, duties, staff and other resources required in their activities.”
Source data (SIMS 18.1)
Statistics Finland receives road traffic accident data from the police recorded in the police information system (PATJA).
Data on the location of accident have been supplemented with data from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's Digiroad data system. Fintraffic assumed the responsibility for the register and the name of the data system will change into the Digitraffic Road Network.
Statistics Finland supplements the annual data with data on deaths from the statistics on causes of death. The data are also supplemented with data from the Rescue Services' PRONTO statistics on resources and accidents, data on coercive measures from justice statistics, and with data on fatal drunk driving accidents from the Road Accident Investigation Teams.
The data on road traffic accidents are also supplemented annually by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom's data on motor vehicles.
Information on the seriousness of injuries is derived from the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)’s care registers for specialised health care and basic outpatient health care and the conversion table licensed to the EU Member States by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.
Frequency of data collection (SIMS 18.2)
Data from police departments are transferred to a centralised register from which new data are edited and transferred to Statistics Finland three times a month. Supplementary data for each month is submitted to Statistics Finland 3 months after its end.
Data collection (SIMS 18.3)
The data sources are road traffic accidents involving personal injury entered into the information system of the police and reported by the police to Statistics Finland.
The data on accidents are recorded into the police information system from where they are transferred to Statistics Finland three times per month. The data from the police are supplemented with data from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and from Statistics Finland’s statistics on causes of death.
Data validation (SIMS 18.4)
It is checked that the values of the variables in the database are logically possible. Revision runs are made at different stages of the process and the data are corrected based on them.
Data compilation (SIMS 18.5)
Data from the database are edited according to processing rules and using other source data. Register data are combined with the help of unique identifiers: road traffic accidents, parties involved in accidents, vehicles and persons have their own identifiers.
It is checked that no personal injury accidents are left among property damages. Accidents excluded from the definition of road traffic accidents are removed.
Overall accuracy (SIMS 13.1)
The published data can be regarded as relatively reliable. The statistics cover nearly 100 per cent of fatal accidents and the majority of accidents involving injuries. The coverage is controlled by means of cause of death certificates.
The coverage is around 30 per cent for persons injured in road traffic accidents. There are differences in the data on different types of accidents. The coverage is poorest for cyclists injured in individual accidents.
The shortcomings are caused by that accidents are not reported to the police. The majority of the missing accidents resulting in injuries are only minor injuries, because the Road Traffic Act obliges to report accidents to the police only if someone has been seriously injured.
Quality assurance (SIMS 11.1)
Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The European Statistics Code of Practice forms the basis for the common quality system of the European Statistical System.
The Code of Practice is based on 16 principles that concern statistical authorities' independence, accountability and the quality of the processes and data to be published.
The principles are in line with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics approved by the United Nations Statistics Commission and are supplementary to them. The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Further information: European Statistics Code of Practice | Statistics Finland and Recommendations of the Advisory Board of Official Statistics of Finland | Statistics Finland
Quality assessment (SIMS 11.2)
The statistics were audited in autumn 2017.
Data revision - policy (SIMS 17.1)
Revisions – i.e. improvements in the accuracy of statistical data already published – are a normal feature of statistical production and result in improved quality of statistics. The principle is that statistical data are based on the best available data and information concerning the statistical phenomenon. On the other hand, the revisions are communicated as transparently as possible in advance. Advance communication ensures that the users can prepare for the data revisions.
The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before.
Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data.
Timeliness (SIMS 14.1)
Data on road traffic accidents are released as preliminary monthly data, approximately three weeks from the end of the month. The final data is published annually in January, approximately 12 months after the end of the statistical year.
Punctuality (SIMS 14.2)
The data are published on the day indicated in the release calendar.
Comparability - geographical (SIMS 15.1)
The data are geographically comparable.
Comparability - over time (SIMS 15.2)
Between 1931 and 1940 the statistics included only accidents involving a motor-driven vehicle. A considerable change in the statistics took place in 1978 when injuries no longer included bruises, scratches and similar, not leading to need of treatment. The change in the definition reduced the number of injured persons by nearly 30 per cent.
The Police started using the new information system in 1995. The transfer to it has caused problems in comparing the accident and injury figures. The change in the data collection did not affect comparability in cases of deaths, which are still checked in the statistics on causes of death as well.
In 2003, Statistics Finland introduced a new information system for the processing of road traffic accident data. The modernised information system enabled more thorough processing of accident data and easier utilisation of other data. The introduction of more accurate statistical bases has raised the numbers of injured by around eight per cent. The revision had not an effect on the numbers of deaths.
Since the beginning of 2007, data on road traffic accidents have been supplemented monthly with data obtained from the preliminary data sheets filled in by the police members of the Road Accident Investigation Teams. This improves the preliminary data especially in the recording of alcohol cases.
Accidents in which a vehicle has crashed onto an oncoming vehicle as a result of swerving have been classified as head-on collisions instead of swerving accidents from 2014 onwards. The data on type of accident are not fully comparable with previous years.
For the year 2014, we adopted the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)'s care registers for specialised health care and basic outpatient health care and the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine's conversion table licensed to the EU countries. By using it the diagnoses set in health care can be converted into AIS values (Abbreviated Injury Scale) used in the classification of seriousness of road traffic accidents. By combining the care register and accident data, data are produced on the number of seriously injured persons on the annual level.
Comparability of deaths remains valid until the beginning of the time series.
The latest change for injured persons has taken place in 2014.
Coherence – cross domain (SIMS 15.3)
According to international recommendations, a person who has died as a result of an accident within 30 days of the accident, excluding those dying of seizures, is defined as a person killed in a road traffic accident. Statistics Finland does not remove suicides in road traffic from the statistics on road traffic accidents. Some countries use a time limit that differs from the 30-day limit for determining road traffic fatalities. The coverage of fatal accidents is not one hundred per cent in all countries.
The number of road traffic fatalities in the cause of death statistics is slightly higher than the figures in the statistics on road traffic accidents due to different definitions: for example, deaths after 30 days are included in the cause of death statistics.
In addition to the statistics on road traffic accidents compiled by Statistics Finland, the Finnish Crash Data Institute (OTI), which belongs to the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre, reports statistics on the same topic based on different principles. The OTI’s topic-specific reports and separate studies can cover fatal accidents investigated by the investigation teams or damage indemnified from the motor liability insurance. The data for the OTI annual report are fatal road traffic accidents investigated by the Road Accident Investigation Teams. The Road Accident Investigation Teams investigate all fatal traffic and off-traffic accidents in Finland. Insurance companies' traffic accident statistics are annual statistics concerning traffic accidents caused by vehicles insured by insurance companies providing motor liability insurance in Finland and indemnified from the motor liability insurance. The data are mainly based on data provided by policyholders. The statistics do not include voluntary motor liability insurance covering only accidents resulting in damage to one's own vehicle. Most of the accidents in the statistics are property damages in which compensation for damages to another vehicle or other property has been paid out. For property damage, it is justified to use statistics based on accidents covered by motor liability insurance, as they also include data on property damage not reported to the police. Traffic damage data can be viewed through the Traffic Damage Gate (in Finnish).
Traffic accident cases are also recorded by hospitals and health care centres, but the collected data are mainly intended for health care and cannot be used properly in traffic safety work. Health care data can be used as supplementary data because data not included in other statistics are available from them, such as persons injured in pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
In 2020, a report Road traffic accident statistics in Finland (in Finnish) was published in the Traficom series of studies and reports, which examined the differences between the statistics.
Coherence - sub-annual and annual statistics (SIMS 15.3.1)
Preliminary annual data can be calculated from the monthly preliminary data of the statistics on road traffic accidents. However, data on seriously injured persons have been combined only with final annual data.
Release calendar (SIMS 8.1)
Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data become public after they have been updated in the web service.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics Finland
Release calendar access (SIMS 8.2)
Statistics Finland's release calendar Future publications
Future publications of the statistics can be found on the page of the statistics at: Future publications of the statistics
User access (SIMS 8.3)
The data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may be processed at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics
Unless otherwise specifically stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer and copyright owner of the data. The terms of use for statistical data.
Frequency of dissemination (SIMS 9)
The statistics on road traffic accidents are published once a month as preliminary data and once a year as a final version.
News release (SIMS 10.1)
The release is published monthly on the home page of the statistics.
Online database (SIMS 10.3)
The database tables of the statistics can be found in the StatFin database.
Micro-data access (SIMS 10.4)
The data material includes the following data:
- related to accident: seriousness, type, time, number of parties involved;
- related to location: region, municipality, location on road network, speed limit, intersection;
- related to conditions: road conditions (dry, wet …), weather (clear, rainy …), light conditions;
- related to parties involved: road user group, age, gender, nationality, breathalyser test result, intoxicant use, driving licence details, personal identification data.
The data do not contain information on liability for accidents.
The data on road traffic accidents are available for research through Statistics Finland’s Research Services. The use of the data for scientific research and statistical surveys is possible only on the basis of a separate decision on user licence and in unidentifiable form. Further information about user licences is available on Statistics Finland's website.
Statistics Finland also maintains the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's data on road traffic accidents. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency decides and is responsible for the releasing of its own data. Statistics Finland also provides information services in the name of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency on behalf of that agency. At the request of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Statistics Finland releases data only to those parties for whom the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency grants a user licence and for whom the police administration has granted a permission for release.
The Director General of Statistics Finland decides on all releases of data abroad.
Other (SIMS 10.5)
Statistics Finland maintains a separate database service on road traffic accidents financed by Statistics Finland, Finnish Road Safety Council, National Police Board of Finland, Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. In 2014, geographic information on road traffic accidents was released for open use through interface services.
Confidentiality - policy (SIMS 7.1)
The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed. The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. Alongside the Statistics Act, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Finnish Data Protection Act are applied to the processing of personal data. Provisions on the confidentiality of data collected for statistical purposes are laid down in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
The data are processed only by persons who need the data in their work. The use of data is restricted by usage rights. All persons employed by Statistics Finland have signed a pledge of secrecy, where they have obliged to keep secret the data prescribed as confidential by virtue of the Statistics Act or the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
Confidentiality - data treatment (SIMS 7.2)
Both the tables and figures of publications and their database tables have been compiled so that sensitive data, such as on the numbers of persons under alcohol or other intoxicants, are not published on the level of municipalities but on the level of the whole country.
When releasing tables, it is made sure that no individual person is identified from the data of the table. The data of the tables are made less detailed by classifying variables, such as age data, in tables that do not cover the whole country. No individual person can be identified from the tables even if there is only one observation in some cell.