The police will conduct a special control operation on heavy traffic throughout Finland from Monday to Sunday between 18 February and 24 February.
All police departments in Finland will be participating in this nationwide campaign. The special control operation is part of the Europe-wide enforcement theme of the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL).
Surveillance of heavy vehicle traffic is one of the focus areas set for traffic safety work of police in 2019. The aim of the operation is to improve road safety and combat crime associated with the shadow economy and transport.
“With regard to traffic safety, the focus of surveillance was targeted at the most prominent issues detected during the previous campaigns, such as compliance with driving hours and rest periods, fastening of the load, and the overall condition of the vehicle,” says Chief Superintendent Kar i Onninen of the National Police Board.
In addition, a special theme for control operation was paying attention to driver distractions.
“The use of phones, tablets or laptops while driving, and obstacles in the field of vision, such as structures installed on the dashboard or decorative items attached to the windshield, will be addressed. Especially any objects and obstacles that prevent the drivers from seeing to their right,” Onninen specifies.
During a corresponding special control operation period in 2018, a total of 1,973 vehicles were inspected and the detected violations resulted in issuing a fine or summary penal fee in writing to more than one-fourth of the drivers.
According to Kari Onninen, the goal for this campaign is also to inspect approximately 1,800-2,000 vehicles.
