Finnish police will carry out intensive controls of heavy traffic

Finnish police will have intensified heavy traffic controls from Monday 19 July to Sunday 25 July, with all Police Departments throughout Finland participating in the campaign.

The control week is also part of the European-wide control theme of the European Roads Policing Network (ROADPOL).

According to police information, one of the focus areas set for the Police traffic safety work in 2021 is, precisely, heavy traffic control. The aim of the control campaign is not only improved traffic safety but also the prevention of grey economy and traffic-related criminality.

"In particular, the controls are targeted at the compliance with prescribed driving and rest periods, at cargo securement and vehicle condition," explains Superintendent Heikki Ihalainen from the National Police Board.

In addition, the special theme of the current control period is to monitor the factors that cause lapses in professional drivers' attentiveness during driving.

"The use of cell phones, tablets and laptops by the drivers on the road will be intervened with. Moreover, any obstacles of vision in front of the driver, such as tops or panels built or installed on the dashboard or bric-a-bracs on the windshield will be dealt with, Superintendent Ihalainen adds.

Electric vehicles

Police consider "particularly important" to have clear and unobstructed vision from the cab to the front right, especially in the summertime, with lots of pedestrians and cyclists, not to mention various electric vehicles, on the move.

During the corresponding control week last July, a total of 1,668 heavy vehicles were controlled in 2,665 working hours. Foreign vehicles accounted for 231 vehicles of the total.

The controls resulted in over 500 sanctions. This year, the objective is to check about 1,600 to 1,800 vehicles.