Road safety in European capitals

Road safety in European capitals: How many people die – and why does Helsinki stand out?

Helsinki: 0 traffic fatalities in the past year

Between July 2024 and July 2025, Helsinki reported no traffic fatalities for a full 12 months – a unique achievement for a European capital. This is the first time the city has recorded zero traffic deaths in an entire year. The most recent death occurred in July 2024.

The success is attributed to several integrated measures:

• More than half of the streets now have a speed limit of 30 km/h – down from 50 km/h previously.

• Street design with narrowing of traffic areas, planting and ongoing speed control with approximately 70 new traffic cameras in recent years.

• Major investment in pedestrian and bicycle-friendly infrastructure and a well-developed public transport system, which reduces car traffic

• Holistic policy under the Vision Zero approach, which prioritises zero fatalities

Traffic fatalities per year

• Copenhagen, Denmark There are no city-specific recent figures for the Municipality of Copenhagen, but nationally, Denmark is below the EU average with approximately 24 traffic fatalities per million inhabitants in 2024. For a city like Copenhagen (approx. 600,000 inhabitants), a rough estimate of 10–15 fatalities per year can be made, but precise figures from the municipality are not available.

• Amsterdam, Netherlands In 2023, 16 people died in traffic accidents within the city of Amsterdam, a slight increase from 15 in 2022. This places the city at the lower end of the scale – around 10–20 deaths per year, as mentioned earlier.

• Berlin, Germany Berlin reported 33 traffic fatalities in 2023, which was the lowest annual total in decades. In 2024, the number rose to 55 traffic fatalities, of which 24 were pedestrians and 11 were cyclists.

• London, United Kingdom In 2019, there were 125 traffic fatalities in Greater London. London has since implemented measures such as 20 mph (≈ 32 km/h) zones, segregated cycle lanes and low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which, according to a 2025 study, have resulted in a 37% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries within LTN areas.

Why has Helsinki achieved this? Helsinki combines several success factors:

• Lower speed limits, especially 30 km/h in the city centre and residential areas, halve the risk of collision

• Road redevelopment: streets are narrowed, pedestrians and cyclists are prioritised, and intersection design is improved.

• Speed control: 70 new cameras enforce compliance.

Good public transport and increased use of cycling, as well as a Vision Zero policy that sets zero fatalities as a goal.