Initiative details
Typically in road safety the official road accident statistics is used. However these statistics typically exclude suicides and fatalities that are due to natural causes. In Driving License directive these health issues are recognized. The magnitude of health problems in road traffic may be grossly underestimated, if only official road safety statistics are used.
Often there are known mental illnesses connected with suicides. Third major health issue is substance dependency. Alcohol has been a traditional problem but in recent years drug use has grown. Health issues are present in about half of the fatal road accidents according to the Finnish road accident investigation teams.
Often there are known mental illnesses connected with suicides. Third major health issue is substance dependency. Alcohol has been a traditional problem but in recent years drug use has grown. Health issues are present in about half of the fatal road accidents according to the Finnish road accident investigation teams.
Initiative date
to
Who was/is your target audience?
Policy makers
Topic
Knowledge building and sharing
Organisation details
The Finnish Crash Data Institute (OTI)
Association
Finland
Helsinki
Contact name
Esa Räty
Telephone number
+358 40 922 1365
esa.raty@oti.fi
Website
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
- Legislational tasks of OTI include co-ordination of road accident investigation team activities and cross-administrative cooperation of parties participating in these activities. These parties include several organizations active on the field of road safety. Also the ministry of transport and communications and Finnish transport and communications agency are kept informed on the activities. With regular discussions with all aforementioned parties this project has been possible and is a good example of cross-administrative cooperation and common goals towards safer traffic. Other stakeholders include National Police forces, Finnish road safety council, Health organisations etc.
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
- Investigated accidents revealed that during late 1990’s disease or attack of illness was a contributing factor in 30 fatal road traffic accidents annually. One third of all fatally injured drivers had long term illnesses.
- Physicians duty to notify police about serious deficienses in driver health requirements was introduced to Finnish legislation in 2003. After legislation was passed the issue was regularly discussed in the steering group of accident investigation and it was decided that further scientific studies should be conducted and more cases should be investigated.
- Natural deaths in road traffic were investigated and included in annual fatal road traffic accidents investigation plans. Attacks of illnesses were specially mentioned in years 2008 investigation plan and subsequent plans.
- Publishing reports and supplying material for research purposes.
o Latest Fit to drive report of fatal motor accidents in Finnish (2021) https://www.lvk.fi/document/165189/3AF9076C392BA5567482E150BE05418AA257F6492DE652D1CFAE29BBB74F8C85
o Also available in English: https://www.lvk.fi/en/statistics/otis-accident-reports/oti-theme-reports/
o Annual DUI reports in Finnish, latest DUI report in English 2022: https://www.lvk.fi/document/300455/8EC4D7B5B089BC7C9BC980598FF202A803DD3DEC918A718E41E29AF626AD610D
o List of scientific papers about Fitness to drive issues that use our data provided as supporting materials. List of studies attached.
- Formulated safety recommendations regarding fitness to drive issues were given in years 2011 and 2016:
o Detection of fitness to drive 2011: guidelines and training for health care professionals should be developed further, professional centers for assessments of fitness to drive should founded, assessments of mental disorders should be clarified, etc
o Health care professionals duty to notify fitness to drive issues (2016). Abovementioned recommendations were renewed and targeted for wider set of organizations.
- Physicians duty to notify police about serious deficienses in driver health requirements was introduced to Finnish legislation in 2003. After legislation was passed the issue was regularly discussed in the steering group of accident investigation and it was decided that further scientific studies should be conducted and more cases should be investigated.
- Natural deaths in road traffic were investigated and included in annual fatal road traffic accidents investigation plans. Attacks of illnesses were specially mentioned in years 2008 investigation plan and subsequent plans.
- Publishing reports and supplying material for research purposes.
o Latest Fit to drive report of fatal motor accidents in Finnish (2021) https://www.lvk.fi/document/165189/3AF9076C392BA5567482E150BE05418AA257F6492DE652D1CFAE29BBB74F8C85
o Also available in English: https://www.lvk.fi/en/statistics/otis-accident-reports/oti-theme-reports/
o Annual DUI reports in Finnish, latest DUI report in English 2022: https://www.lvk.fi/document/300455/8EC4D7B5B089BC7C9BC980598FF202A803DD3DEC918A718E41E29AF626AD610D
o List of scientific papers about Fitness to drive issues that use our data provided as supporting materials. List of studies attached.
- Formulated safety recommendations regarding fitness to drive issues were given in years 2011 and 2016:
o Detection of fitness to drive 2011: guidelines and training for health care professionals should be developed further, professional centers for assessments of fitness to drive should founded, assessments of mental disorders should be clarified, etc
o Health care professionals duty to notify fitness to drive issues (2016). Abovementioned recommendations were renewed and targeted for wider set of organizations.
Evaluation
What has been the effect of the activities?
- Assessment centers for Fitness to drive (Ajopoli in Finnish) were founded:
o Ajopoli Turku 2015
o Ajopoli Helsinki 2016
o Ajopoli Kuopio 2021
- OTI, Finnish Traffic Medicine Association and Finnish Road Safety council have organised several training seminars for health care and road safety professionals. Finnish transport and communications agency have founded a training programme for health care professional and enforcement authorities. Together these training programs have reached over 1000 professionals since 2018.
o Ajopoli Turku 2015
o Ajopoli Helsinki 2016
o Ajopoli Kuopio 2021
- OTI, Finnish Traffic Medicine Association and Finnish Road Safety council have organised several training seminars for health care and road safety professionals. Finnish transport and communications agency have founded a training programme for health care professional and enforcement authorities. Together these training programs have reached over 1000 professionals since 2018.
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
- This project has reached recognision in recent road safety strategies and is currently a vital part of road safety work.
- National road safety plan 2011-2014: Driving health and fitness to drive evaluations. Teaching of traffic medicine. Occupational health cervices for professional drivers.
- National road safety action plan 2021: Fitness to drive has several actions.
- National road safety plan 2011-2014: Driving health and fitness to drive evaluations. Teaching of traffic medicine. Occupational health cervices for professional drivers.
- National road safety action plan 2021: Fitness to drive has several actions.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
- Regular reports, working groups on these issues, webinar participations
- Information is shared via published reports. Data has been provided to researchers and scientific studies has been supported by grants and professional expertise.
- Information is shared via published reports. Data has been provided to researchers and scientific studies has been supported by grants and professional expertise.