Return to normal amounts in indemnified motor vehicle accidents after the corona year

In 2021, the number of motor vehicle accidents rose from the record-low figures of the corona year 2020 but did not return to the pre-corona level. However, the number of seriously injured victims was the second highest in ten years. The largest number of accidents occur in parking lots, and the most damage-prone day is Friday. This information is derived from statistics on accidents indemnified by insurance companies from motor liability insurance, published by the Finnish Crash Data Institute (OTI).

According to the data reported by insurance companies to the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre, the total number of indemnified accidents in 2021 was 91,419. The increase compared to 2020, the first corona year, was about 11 percent. The number still falls below the level of the years preceding the coronavirus, when the number of accidents was closer to one hundred thousand, or even more. 

“These accident statistics are Finland’s largest unified accident database. The data is quite unique by international standards, as I’m not aware of many other countries where all traffic insurance companies submit information about the accidents they paid compensation for to the same database. The statistics are sensitive to various changes in traffic, and so the decrease in traffic volumes during the coronavirus, for example, or individual snowstorm days, are reflected in the statistics,” says Esa Räty, Road Safety Manager at the Finnish Crash Data Institute.

Every sixth accident resulted in compensation paid due to a personal injury. All in all, compensation for personal injuries was paid to almost 20,000 people. The number of personal injuries increased by about 5 percent from 2020, but the number was still 12 percent below the ten-year average. The vast majority of those who received compensation due to a personal injury were slightly disabled or only needed an injury check. There were 362 seriously injured people, which is the second highest number in ten years in this data. 22 percent of those killed and injured in accidents were under the age of 18. 

“In addition to the accidents indemnified from the motor liability insurance, many serious injuries in traffic are caused by, for example, falling on bicycles and electric scooters. In order to support traffic safety measures, it is important to get an overall picture of the serious injuries,” says Kalle Parkkari, Road Safety Director at Finnish Crash Data Institute. 

It is estimated that a total of EUR 388 million will be paid from motor liability insurances in compensation for accidents that occurred in 2021, meaning an average of EUR 4,000 per accident. 71 percent of all accidents occurred in urban areas, one-fifth of them in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen). 

Rear-end accidents on streets, reversing accidents on parking lots 

Almost half (46%) of all accidents occurred in parking lots, gas stations, yards, and similar areas. More than half (54%) of the accidents that occurred in parking lots were reversing accidents. The largest number of parking lot accidents occur on Fridays and the smallest on Sundays. 

A total of 41,274 accidents indemnified from the motor liability insurance occurred on the actual road and street network. On the road and street network, the most common accident type was rear end collisions, which accounted for 31 percent of the accidents. The largest number of accidents on the road and street network occurred in the winter (31% of accidents) and the smallest in the spring (20%). 24% of the accidents occurred in the autumn and 25% in the summer.

A significant share of moped or motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents, such as running-off-the-road accidents. Every third of those who were severely injured in accidents occurred in 2021 was a moped or motorcycle rider or passenger.

A lot of crashes in outbound Christmas and Midsummer traffic 

On average, 250 accidents indemnified from the motor liability insurance occurred per day. Of the days of the week, the largest number of accidents occurred on Fridays (an average of 296 accidents/day) and the smallest on Sundays (an average of 165 accidents/day). In 2021, there were a total of 26 days when at least 350 accidents occurred, and 11 days with more than 400 accidents.

Measured in terms of the number of accidents, the worst day of 2021 was Tuesday, 12 January, on which date a total of 489 accidents occurred. The highest number of accidents related to public holidays and their outbound and return traffic occurred on Wednesday 12 May before the Ascension Day (365 accidents), on 23 December, the day before Christmas Eve (343 accidents), and on Wednesday 26 June before Midsummer (339 pcs). 

Background information 

Due to different statistical criteria, the motor vehicle claims statistics differ from the official traffic accident statistics. With regard to road casualties, the motor vehicle claims statistics  are not as comprehensive as the official traffic accident statistics. Furthermore, the classification of severe injuries used in the motor vehicle claims statistics is not consistent with the classification used in the official statistics. 

The figures in these statistics do not include accidents handled by the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre, such as accidents caused by unknown, uninsured or foreign motor vehicles, and accidents caused by vehicles exempted from the obligation to insure.  

View a summary of the 2021 statistics on accidents indemnified by insurance companies from motor liability insurance (pdf)

Additional information:  

Finnish Crash Data Institute, Road Safety Manager Esa Räty, +358 40 922 1365 
Finnish Crash Data Institute, Road Safety Director Kalle Parkkari, +358 50 306 9884 
firstname.lastname(@)oti.fi 

OTI information service, +358 40 450 4666, tietopalvelu(@)oti.fi 

Communications, +358 40 450 4700 viestinta(@)vakuutuskeskus.fi