Zero Road Traffic Fatalities in Helsinki Over One Year – Award Seminar Highlights Importance of EU Support for Urban Development
Helsinki recorded zero road traffic fatalities during a 12-month period in 2024–2025. In recognition of this achievement, the city received a special award from DEKRA, an international testing, inspection and certification company, on 19 November for its outstanding work in improving traffic safety. Helsinki’s efforts are also part of the EU’s Vision Zero strategy. The award was accepted on behalf of the City of Helsinki by Janne Leino, Director of the Helsinki EU Office.
In his remarks, Leino highlighted Helsinki’s long-term and systematic work based on the EU’s Vision Zero strategy: “Helsinki has implemented several measures aligned with the Vision Zero objective through cross-sectoral cooperation with residents, local businesses and the police.”
Vision Zero is the EU’s road safety strategy aiming to eliminate road traffic fatalities by 2050. Its core principle is that the transport system should be designed so that human errors do not result in death or serious injury.
Several factors have contributed to Helsinki’s achievement, particularly reduced speed limits: more than half of the city’s streets now have a 30 km/h limit, especially in residential areas and near schools. Street environments have also been redesigned to make intersections safer, including raised pedestrian crossings, improved lighting and better separation of traffic modes. Walking, cycling and public transport have been strengthened, reducing car dependency. More effective traffic enforcement — such as increased use of speed cameras and active cooperation with the police — has also played a role.
In his speech, Leino also emphasised the need for strong EU-level support and cooperation to further improve road safety. Helsinki’s achievement demonstrates that consistent decision-making, urban planning and committed efforts can deliver significant results — and provide a model for other European cities.
Looking ahead to the European Union’s next funding period (2028–2034), Leino stressed the importance of EU cooperation for urban development:
“The Commission’s current proposals on national and regional envelopes, the Connecting Europe Facility and the Horizon Europe programme do not sufficiently take into account the needs of cities to continue their work to prevent traffic fatalities.”
Cities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area are concerned that the EU’s proposal for national and regional envelopes does not include a targeted allocation for sustainable urban development, as exists today. In the proposal for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which finances EU transport and energy corridors, urban nodes are not mentioned — even though EU-level objectives for reducing traffic emissions and fatalities are set for them. The continuation of the EU Missions financed under the Horizon Europe programme is also uncertain. From the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Helsinki and Espoo participate in the “Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities” mission.