In addition to traditional surveillance methods, the police use automatic traffic surveillance equipment on heavily trafficked roads and urban areas.
Besides monitoring speeds, the equipment is used to monitor observing traffic lights and the use of mobile phone during driving, for instance. Road signs indicate the presence of fixed automatic traffic cameras. No signs are provided for surveillance using mobile equipment.
A traffic penalty fee is an administrative fine issued for minor traffic offences, such as exceeding the speed limit by no more than 20 km/h. A traffic penalty fee can also be issued for the use of mobile phone during driving or not wearing a seatbelt, for example. The traffic penalty fee is vehicle-specific and sent to the registered owner, holder or main operator of the vehicle without first finding out who was actually driving the vehicle.
Exceeding the speed limit by no more than 10 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 20-60 km/h: EUR 100
Exceeding the speed limit by 11-15 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 20-60 km/h: EUR 170
Exceeding the speed limit by 16-20 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 20-60 km/h: EUR 200
Exceeding the speed limit by no more than 10 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 70-120 km/h: EUR 70
Exceeding the speed limit by 11-15 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 70-120 km/h: EUR 140
Exceeding the speed limit by 16-20 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 70-120 km/h: EUR 170
Failure to observe a prohibitory sign: EUR 100
Unauthorised driving on a bus lane: EUR 100
Failure to observe a red traffic light: EUR 100
Use of a communications device during driving: EUR 100
Not wearing a seatbelt: EUR 70
If the driver is guilty of several traffic offences at the same time (such as speeding and not wearing a seatbelt), one traffic penalty fee is issued for the offences. The amount of the traffic penalty fee is determined so that the traffic penalty fee issued for the most serious offence is increased by EUR 40.
For example, a traffic penalty fee of EUR 70 is issued for driving without wearing a seatbelt. If you drive 59 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 40 km/h, you will be issued a traffic penalty fee of EUR 200. If you are found guilty of both the offences at the same time, you will be issued a traffic penalty fee of EUR 200, plus an increase of EUR 40. Thus the total sum you have to pay is EUR 240.
Traffic penalty fees issued for the most minor traffic offences do not affect your right to drive. If you receive a traffic penalty fee decision for an offence that someone else has committed using your car, you can directly transfer it to the actual driver for payment. There is no need to submit an appeal.
Traffic offences not affecting your right to drive include:
Some of the traffic penalty fees will affect your right to drive. A driving ban can be imposed on the driver if they have committed three traffic offences affecting the right to drive in one year or four in two years. If the driver has held a driving licence less than two years, the limit for assessing their right to drive is two offences in one year or three offences in two years.
Traffic offences affecting the right to drive include:
It always reads in the traffic penalty fee decision whether the traffic offence will affect your right to drive.
You can pay the traffic penalty fee even if you had not committed the offence. If the question is of a traffic offence affecting the right to drive, it will remain in the name of the person to whom the traffic penalty fee decision is addressed. If you receive a traffic penalty fee decision for an offence that someone else has committed using your car, you can appeal the decision.
You can request an appeal of the traffic penalty fee decision through the police’s online services. You can also fill out the form on the reverse side of the traffic penalty fee decision and return it to the Police’s Traffic Safety Centre by post or e-mail. You must make the appeal in writing within 30 days after you received the traffic penalty fee decision. You must state grounds for your appeal.
Traffic offences punishable with a day-fine include exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 km/h, failure to observe the red traffic light and operating a vehicle without a licence. The amount of the day-fine is determined according to the driver’s income.
The processing of traffic offences detected through automatic traffic surveillance is subject to the same legal provisions as other road traffic offences. Before starting pre-trial investigation, the police send a letter to the registered owner or operator of the vehicle, requesting the identity of the driver shown in the photo taken by the automatic traffic camera. The letter states that there is a photo of the incident.
When the owner or operator of the vehicle responds to the letter, informing the police of the driver, the police will send a request for official assistance to the police department in the driver’s domicile. The driver is asked to visit the police station where they are personally informed of the fine.
For additional information on the summary penal fee, see Traficom’s website (in Finnish)
An appeal and instructions on how to complete it are sent together with the traffic penalty fee. If the traffic offence does not affect your right to drive, you do not have to make the appeal but can assign the traffic penalty fee directly to the actual driver for payment.
You must make the appeal in writing within 30 days after you received the traffic penalty fee decision. You can submit an appeal through the police’s online services. You can also fill out the form on the reverse side of the traffic penalty fee decision and return it to the Police’s Traffic Safety Centre by post or e-mail.
No, you cannot, because traffic penalty fees and inquiry letters are always first sent to the vehicle owner or holder entered in the register. Contact the vehicle owner/holder and together fill out the reply letter or possible appeal when you receive the letter. If the question is of an offence that does not affect your right to drive, the appeal need not be made but you can pay the traffic penalty fee directly.
We process all new cases as quickly as possible. If you have taken Suomi.fi messages into use, you will receive information on possible sanction directly through online services. Otherwise you will receive the letter at home by post. According to law, the traffic penalty fee decision must be sent within 30 days from the date of the offence at the latest.
We do not give any prior information about the cases so just wait for mail to arrive. If some weeks have already passed from the camera flash and you think the letter may have been lost on its way, you can contact our customer service.
Information on Suomi.fi messages on the Suomi.fi website
The easiest way to report the driver’s information is through the police’s online services. If you wish, you can also enter the driver’s details on the response form and return the form to the Police Traffic Safety Centre by post or email. If you do not report the driver’s details, you may be asked to visit the police station for interrogation.
You are not required to comment on the violation. The police station of your choice can take care of any further proceedings, if necessary.
Cases involving a day-fine are handled at police departments, as they need to be notified personally. Electronic notification is also possible through the Suomi.fi service. If you wish to have the fine electronically in Suomi.fi messages, please contact the Traffic Safety Centre’s customer service, tel. +358 295 541 7917 (Mon–Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Yes, we can. You can email us at [email protected] or call us on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (+358 29 541 7917).
Yes, you can. If you wish to pay the traffic penalty fee in instalments, use the same reference number for all payments. After the due date, you have approximately 2 months to pay the traffic penalty fee before the Legal Register Centre sends you a payment reminder. If you have received a payment reminder and still need more payment time, please contact the Legal Register Centre by phone at +358 29 566 5662 (Mon-Fri at 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) or by email ([email protected]).
The photo is part of pre-trial investigation material and confidential until the pre-trial investigation has been concluded. After the end of the prescribed time, you can order the image by email from the address [email protected]. When ordering the image, specify the case with a case number, for example.
You will see the driver’s facial photo connected with the traffic penalty fee in digital form by logging into the police’s online services. During pre-trial investigation of a traffic offence, the driver’s facial photograph can be sent in an encrypted email to the owner, holder or suspected driver of the vehicle.
Before the investigation is closed, you can view the whole photo at the police service desk of any police department in Finland. Once there, please ask the clerk to call the Police Traffic Safety Centre (tel. +358 29 541 7917) that will send the photo to the clerk’s email account.
A traffic penalty fee is issued in all speed limit areas for speeds 7-20 km/h over the speed limit.
In practice, the police reduce the measured speed based on a possible measurement error of 3 km/h, which means that the speed recorded on the traffic penalty fee decision or fine is lower than the measured speed. It the speed is over 100 km/h, the police reduce the measured speed by approximately 3%.
For example, if you drive at a speed of 70 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 60 km/h, you will be imposed a traffic penalty fee on which your speed will be recorded as 67 km/h. If you drive at 71 km/h in the area, your excess speed after the reduction by the margin of error would be 8 km/h.
Day fines are imposed if the excess speed is more than 20 km/h after the reduction.
You have been photographed on the bus lane after driving across the crossing without turning. In a densely populated area, you should get on the correct lane one block before you turn, or after the previous crossing. If the distance to the previous crossing is over 150 metres, you should take the correct lane no more than 150 metres before the crossing.
If the speed limit sign speed is not visible, the driver must deduce maximum permitted speed from the traffic environment. The general speed limit in built-up areas is 50 km/h and outside of them 80 km/h. You can clean a snow-covered speed limit sign if you can do it without endangering traffic safety. You can also take a picture of a snow-covered traffic sign as evidence in case you later get fined.
The road user’s duty to exercise care includes the obligation to find out the prohibitions, orders, provisions and restrictions set for the road using traffic control equipment. As a rule, this duty has been considered demanding. The scope of the duty to exercise care that can be required from a road user encountering a snow-covered traffic sign is always assessed case-by-case and taking the prevailing conditions into consideration.
If you receive a traffic penalty fee for not having noticed the change of speed limit owing to a snow-covered traffic sign, you can fill in the appeal that you receive together with the traffic penalty fee decision. The polices handle appeals case-by-case and submits unclear cases to court for final decision. Different types of decisions have been awarded by courts of higher instances in which it has been considered whether the driver should have been able to deduct the change of speed limit from the traffic environment.
If you get a traffic penalty fee or fine for traffic offences three times in one year or four times in two years and it affects your driving right, you can lose your driving licence for a fixed period. If you have held a driving licence less than two years, the limit for assessing your right to drive is two offences in one year or three offences in two years. The decision will be made by your local police department.
The highest speeding (causing a traffic hazard in a manner showing gross negligence or causing a serious traffic hazard) can also lead to a driving ban without previous offences.
As traffic penalty fees are not counted as repeated traffic offences, they will not affect your right to drive or lead to any other consequences.
For more information on driving bans, see section Driving bans on the police website.
Companies that own one or more vehicles that have no named driver must appoint someone to be in charge of the vehicles. The vehicles coordinator is responsible for keeping records of all individuals who drive the company’s vehicles. The vehicles coordinator must live in Finland and have at least a category-B driving licence. The details of vehicles coordinators can be submitted via the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency’s website.
If a vehicle has no named driver, any traffic penalty fees incurred by the vehicle are sent to the company’s vehicles coordinator. Unless the vehicles coordinator is the main driver of the company’s vehicles, it is worth introducing a driver’s log to keep track.
If no vehicles coordinator has been appointed, any traffic penalty fees incurred by the company’s vehicles are sent to the managing director or other executive identified in the Finnish Business Information System.
The details of vehicles coordinators can be submitted via the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency’s website.
Link to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency’s website: Notification and cancellation of person in charge of use.
There are 1,085 fixed control points for automatic traffic surveillance in Finland, covering approximately 3,784 km of the road network. (The total length of the network of paved roads in Finland is approximately 51,000 kilometres) The number of the control points will be increased in the near future. The traffic control points are selected on the basis of road accident statistics, for example. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is responsible for the planning, construction, upkeep and maintenance of traffic control points.
The police have 26 automatic traffic surveillance vehicles for monitoring road speed limits and driving on bus lanes.
The police are responsible for the use and upkeep of traffic surveillance devices as well as the handling of traffic offences and violations photographed using the devices.
The length of the controlled road section and number of control points is shown after the area controlled.
The total length of the controlled road sections is 3783.90 kilometres. There are 1,085 control points.
