Published: 23 January 2019
A total of 238 persons died in road traffic accidents and 409 were seriously injured in 2017
According to Statistics Finland, 4,432 road traffic accidents involving personal injury occurred in 2017. In them, 238 persons were killed and 5,574 injured. Around seven per cent of the injured, or 409 persons, were injured seriously 1) . In 2017, the number of deaths was 20 lower and that of injured persons 337 fewer than in 2016. Seventy-six per cent of those having died and 57 per cent of the injured were men.
Road traffic fatalities by age group in 1995 to 2017
In 2017, the number of road traffic fatalities decreased in all examined age groups, except in the group aged 65 to 74, where the number of deaths was higher than in the year before. In all, 32 persons aged 65 to 74 died in road traffic accidents in 2017, while the number was 27 one year earlier. The number of injured persons also declined in almost all examined age groups. Only the number of injured children, that is, persons aged 0 to 14, increased. Altogether 359 children were injured in road traffic accidents in 2017, while the corresponding number in the year before was 350.
During 2017, altogether 409 persons were seriously injured in road traffic. Of them, 135 were passenger car drivers and 62 passengers. Fifty-two motorcyclists and 40 moped riders were seriously injured. Forty pedestrians and 40 cyclists were seriously injured.
In 2017, the number of road traffic deaths was highest in passenger cars, where 104 drivers and 29 passengers were killed. Compared with the previous year, 15 fewer drivers and two fewer passengers were killed. Thirteen motorcyclists were killed, which is four fewer than in 2016. Five moped riders were killed, which is as many as in the year before. Altogether, 27 pedestrians were killed in road traffic accidents in 2017, which is two fewer than in the year before. The number of cyclists' road traffic deaths was 23, or three fewer than in 2016.
The majority of accidents resulting in death were swerving accidents and head-on collisions. Fifty-eight people were killed in head-on collisions and 79 in swerving accidents. Of the injured, 28 per cent (1,569 persons) were involved in swerving accidents.
A total of 23 suicides were committed by collisions with a motor vehicle in 2017. Their share of road traffic fatalities was around ten per cent 2) .
In 2017, the number of alcohol-related accidents involving personal injury was 446, which is 62 fewer than in 2016. Of these, 409 were drunken driving accidents. A total of 52 persons died and 549 persons were injured in drunken driving accidents in 2017, while in the previous year, the corresponding figures were 60 deaths and 574 injured persons.
Most road traffic accidents involving personal injury occurred during the summer months. Most accidents involving personal injury occurred in July, 459 in total, of which 27 were fatal accidents and 432 were accidents resulting in injury. In all, 54 accidents resulting in serious injury occurred in July 2017.
1) A seriously injured person refers to a person involved in a road traffic accident who is classified as being seriously injured in accordance with the AIS Abbreviated Injury Scale (AAAM, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine). In addition to the road traffic accident data, the data of the care register of the National Institute for Health and Welfare were used in the classification of injuries
2) Source: Statistics on Causes of death, Statistics Finland.
Source: Transport and Tourism: Statistics on road traffic accidents. Statistics Finland
Inquiries: Mari Niemi 029 551 3516, Irmeli Segerholm 029 551 3219 , liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi
Director in charge: Mari Ylä-Jarkko
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Updated 23.1.2019
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF):
Statistics on road traffic accidents [e-publication].
ISSN=2342-3846. 2017. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 24.11.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ton/2017/ton_2017_2019-01-23_tie_001_en.html