Woman narrowly escapes collision at pedestrian crossing in Helsinki

A woman narrowly escaped being hit by a car while crossing a pedestrian crossing on Runeberginkatu in downtown Helsinki on Monday afternoon. A video shared by the police on social media shows the near miss, where the woman had to stop suddenly to avoid a collision with a speeding vehicle. The car passes so closely that her skirt flutters. Following the incident, the woman appears visibly shaken and raises her hands in surprise.

According to Dennis Pasterstein, a chief inspector with the Helsinki Police Department, the situation was both dangerous and alarming. The police happened to be on the opposite side of the road and swiftly stopped the young driver. The driver’s license was temporarily revoked, and the individual is suspected of reckless endangerment of traffic safety.

Pasterstein emphasizes the need for improvement in attitudes toward traffic rules. He notes that pedestrian crossing violations occur daily in Helsinki. “Despite increased traffic monitoring, communication, and penalties, violations remain unacceptably high,” he stated. However, incidents of blatant violations like the one seen in the video are not common. He remarked that driver behavior has improved in recent years, with motorists increasingly yielding to pedestrians and being more aware of their surroundings.

In 2022, there were approximately 300 reported traffic injuries in Helsinki, with around half affecting vehicle occupants, about 50 pedestrians, around 70 cyclists, and approximately 20 moped riders and others. Traffic fatalities are rare in Helsinki, with only three reported this year. Pasterstein mentions that Helsinki is one of the safest capitals in the world for traffic, providing peace of mind for parents when children head to school.