Published: 20 January 2022
A total of 223 persons died in road traffic accidents in 2020
According to Statistics Finland, 3,608 road traffic accidents involving personal injury occurred in 2020. In them, 223 persons were killed and 4,411 injured. Nine per cent of the injured, or 408 persons, were injured seriously 1) . In 2020, the number of deaths was 12 higher and that of injured persons 602 fewer than in 2019. Seventy-seven per cent of those having died and 59 per cent of injured were men.
Road traffic fatalities by age group in 1995 to 2020
In 2020, the number of road traffic fatalities grew in the 25 to 54 and over the age of 65 age groups. Instead, fewer persons aged 0 to 24 and 55 to 64 died as in the year before. In 2020, the number of injuries was lower than before in most age groups. The number of road traffic injuries increased only in the 6 to 9 age group.
During 2020, altogether 408 persons were seriously injured in road traffic. Of them, 132 were passenger car drivers and 55 passengers. A total of 55 motorcyclists and 24 moped riders were seriously injured. The number of seriously injured pedestrians was 43 and that of cyclists 59.
In 2020, the number of road traffic deaths was highest in passenger cars, where 101 drivers and 26 passengers were killed. Compared with the previous year, four more drivers and equal number of passengers were killed. A total of 20 motorcyclists died, which is five fewer than in 2019. Two moped riders were killed, which is one fewer as in the year before. Altogether 22 pedestrians were killed in road traffic accidents in 2020, which is seven more than one year earlier. The number of cyclists' road traffic deaths was 31, or eight more than in 2019.
Most accidents resulting in death were head-on collisions and swerving accidents. Sixty people were killed in head-on collisions and 71 in swerving accidents. Of the injuries, 31 per cent (1,389 persons) took place in swerving accidents.
In 2020, altogether 21 suicides were committed in road traffic by collisions with a motor vehicle. The share of suicides in road traffic fatalities was around 10 per cent. 2)
In 2020, a total of 448 alcohol-related accidents involving personal injury occurred, which was 58 more than in 2019. Of these, 413 were drunken driving accidents. A total of 57 persons died and 503 persons were injured in drunken driving accidents in 2020, while in the previous year, the corresponding figures were 42 deaths and 448 injured persons.
The number of road traffic accidents involving personal injury was highest in June to September. Most accidents involving personal injury occurred in August, in all 438, of which 24 were fatal accidents and 414 were accidents resulting in injury. A total of 53 accidents resulting in serious injuries occurred in August 2020.
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) Statistics Finland's statistics on causes of death were used as the source.
Source: Statistics on road traffic accidents, Statistics Finland
Inquiries: Heidi Pukkila 029 551 3478, Mervi Härkönen 029 551 3254, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi
Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala
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Updated 20.01.2022
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF):
Statistics on road traffic accidents [e-publication].
ISSN=2342-3846. 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 16.11.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ton/2020/ton_2020_2022-01-20_tie_001_en.html