The nationwide traffic surveillance performed last week by the police revealed multiple cases of failure to use seat belts in both the front and back seats, and drivers using mobile phones without hands-free devices.
72 tickets were issued for drivers neglecting the rules for pedestrian crossings.
These included 30 drivers, that neglected to stop at pedestrian crossings, which had a pedestrian waiting to cross over or which had a parked vehicle blocking visibility; 21 drivers, that did not give way to pedestrians about to cross the road; and 21 drivers, that neglected to give way to pedestrians already crossing the road.
Chief Superintendent Heikki Kallio from the National Police Board emphasises the importance of wearing a seatbelt.
– The use of seatbelts saves lives in the event of collisions; no one can be certain of avoiding an accident, whether due to their own actions or the miscalculations of other road users.
He also points out that use of mobile phones while driving poses a danger and creates risks for others in traffic.
– Mobile phone use is only legal with hands-free devices, Kallio notes.
Decreased accidents at pedestrian crossings, although the number of accidents is still too high
Surveillance by the police and the decrease in pedestrian crossing accidents during the past years indicate, that pedestrian crossings are being taken more seriously.
– However, every accident at a pedestrian crossing is one too many, since they should be safe places to cross roads, Kallio comments.
The police devoted 3,220 working hours to last week’s intensive surveillance.
1278 passengers were recorded without seatbelts travelling in the front seats and 114 travelling in the back seats, safety equipment violations involving children totalled 154 passengers.
Violations of using mobile phones without a hands-free device whilst driving totalled 740 instances.
Six deportations were initiated
During the intensive surveillance week, the police examined the right-to-remain status of approximately 900 foreign nationals. The police documented three cases of criminal reports and initiated six cases of deportation of foreign nationals.
The surveillance of foreign nationals by the police in Finland is prescribed in the Foreigners Act law. – Police control and supervision are never solely based on actual or implied ethnic origin. Instead, it must be based on tips or analysed data of illegal residence.
The police conducts its surveillance of foreign nationals as a part of other surveillance efforts, such as traffic surveillance, restaurant inspections, and construction site inspections. When police surveillance identifies a foreign national, they are required to examine the right-to-remain of such individuals.
