18.03.2026 at 06.45
Performance audit

Promotion of road safety

The strategic management of road safety work has been improved, but the objectives and indicators should be further developed. At the same time, it would be important to solve the obstacles that hinder the development of safety in road maintenance, automated traffic enforcement, driving rights and awareness-raising activities. A lot of information is produced on road safety, but injury statistics give a false picture of road safety in Finland.

Photo: Getty Images

Download report: NAOF's conclusions and recommendations: Promotion of road safety PDF 218 KB

Scope of the audit

Overall management of state-funded traffic safety work.
Promotion of road safety through four case audits: road maintenance, the management of driving rights, awareness-raising and automated traffic enforcement.
Production and utilisation of information on road safety.

Key findings

The strategic management of road safety has been improved, but the strategic objectives should be further developed so that they would be measurable and address the key risk areas in road safety.
The challenges related to the measures to promote road safety should be addressed.
A lot of statistical and monitoring information is produced, but the statistics on injuries in road traffic are inadequate.

Briefly

A significant amount of state funds is used to maintain road safety. In 2025, for example, the appropriations for basic road maintenance in the state budget amounted to around EUR 933 million, part of which is directed at promoting safety.

Since 2010, between 185 and 292 people have been killed annually in road traffic. According to Statistics Finland, the number of injured persons in recent years has been approximately 3,400–4,400. According to the audit finds, the actual number is considerably higher, which means that the socioeconomic impact of accidents is clearly above the estimated EUR 1.2 billion (Traficom 2024).

The management of road safety work has improved, but the strategic objectives should be further developed to address the key risks.

The new Transport Safety Strategy has improved the management of road safety work. However, the strategic objectives should be further developed to address the key risk areas in road safety. At the same time, it should be ensured that the measures that were examined in case audits and that play a key role in road safety have better prerequisites for promoting safety.

The complex division of responsibilities and tasks between the ELY Centre (Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment), the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Fintraffic Road Ltd and the police. — Road safety cameras and the division of responsibilities related to them. Source: Väyläviraston opas 3/2023 (Guide of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 3/2023).

The number of persons injured in road traffic accidents increased sharply until the 1970s. After that, the trend varied until the 2000s, after which the number has decreased steadily according to the official statistics. However, the statistics are not realistic. — The number of persons injured in road traffic accidents annually. Source: Traffic accident statistics of Statistics Finland.

185

people were killed in road traffic accidents in 2023

14,039

personal injuries were compensated under the motor liability insurance in 2023

Recommendations of the National Audit Office

In connection with the strategy update, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, in cooperation with other key actors, should develop such strategic objectives for traffic safety activities that are based on situation analysis and address the key traffic safety risks. The objectives should be realistic and measurable.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications should strengthen the monitoring of the implementation of the strategy by verifying the extent to which each strategic objective, not just measure, has been achieved. The Ministry should also ensure that, on the basis of the monitoring, it is possible, if necessary, to make changes to the implementation of the strategy.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency should ensure that the situational traffic safety information published by it can be utilised efficiently in strategic planning and decision-making related to traffic safety.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications should examine how the organisation and funding of the tasks carried out by the Finnish Road Safety Council and the Finnish Crash Data Institute could be developed in order to render them more appropriate in view of the operations and the overall promotion of traffic safety.

The Ministry of the Interior and the National Police Board should ensure that the Police Traffic Safety Centre in Helsinki has the capacity to efficiently collect the traffic penalty fees imposed through automated traffic enforcement. In addition, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the National Police Board, should ensure the removal of obstacles that slow the development of automated traffic enforcement, which complements other forms of traffic enforcement.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, should ensure that the system entitling 17-year-olds to drive a passenger car is administratively as simple and cost-effective as possible during the new driving licences directive. In addition, the above-mentioned responsible parties should ensure that the model promotes the achievement of the traffic safety objectives.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency should develop the safety objectives of road management steering and ensure that the road maintenance measures to improve the safety of the road network have good prerequisites for implementation.