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The cause of more than half of Finland's fatal road accidents were due to drivers' hidden health issues, according to OTI, the Finnish Crash Data Institute. "However, many of those health risks remain hidden because even the drivers aren't always aware they're sick — or don't want to report their illnesses," said Tapio Koisaari, technology chief at the Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre, a division of OTI. According to recent data, about half of last year's fatal vehicle accidents were caused by health issues that the healthcare services system did not know about. Koisaari said that in these hidden cases, one cannot assume that healthcare services would be able to help, if the way such issues are assessed isn't changed. Currently, a driver's physical ability to operate a vehicle largely depends on their own assessment. A large proportion of working-age drivers can stay on the road for decades without having to take a mandatory fitness test. Room for improvement According to Koisaari, a more systematic and proactive approach could help prevent serious accidents. He said the problem could be solved by regular health checks of drivers at certain ages. "Or even once — for example when they're in their 40s — with a full health history review and follow-up examinations," Koisaari suggested. As it stands, he said it would be difficult to further reduce the number of fatalities on the country's roads, as the available steps have already been taken. Sudden health issues, like heart attacks, are well-known to cause accidents. But underlying issues like untreated substance abuse or mental health problems can also be risk factors. According to Koisaari, a single illness doesn't necessarily make a person unfit to drive, but the combined effects of several conditions do have that potential. Finland has seen a dramatic decrease in road fatalities over the decades. In 1972, Finland recorded 1,156 traffic deaths, and in 1970 more than 16,000 people were injured in road accidents. At the time there were fewer than a million cars registered in Finland, while now there are more than four million registered passenger vehicles on the roads. In stark contrast, Finland saw 171 traffic fatalities in 2023, the lowest number in statistical history. Last year, investigators examined 184 fatal road accidents that claimed 194 lives.
