43 people died in traffic last year

TALLINN - In 2025, Estonia recorded 1,615 traffic accidents involving casualties, resulting in 1,815 injuries and 43 fatalities. Of those injured, 367 suffered serious harm. Compared to 2024, the number of such accidents decreased by 306, the number of injuries fell by 335, and the death toll dropped by 26.

"Estonia took a significant step forward last year, but every fatality is one too many, and our work must continue. In December, we adopted a new traffic safety program with a vision for a fatality-free Estonia by 2050," said Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis. "The state's focus in the coming years will be on developing infrastructure, reducing speeds on dangerous road sections, and addressing repeat offenders. Over the next four years, we will invest over one billion euros in road maintenance to construct more than 65 kilometers of new four-lane highways, repair existing roads, and redesign over 100 hazardous locations."

Priit Sauk, Director General of the Estonian Transport Administration, stated that last year's improvement confirms the positive impact of prevention, enforcement, and infrastructure upgrades, but the ultimate goal remains distant. "The figures show that we can collectively achieve the desired results, but not yet consistently. The choices of every road user-speed, attentiveness, use of safety equipment-will determine whether this positive year is repeated or if the trend reverses for the worse," Sauk said.

According to Taavi Kirs, head of traffic supervision at the Police and Border Guard Board, the statistical jump in improvement last year shows that progress is possible when there is a will.

"We have improved our own approach - since last year, we've been tackling traffic enforcement differently with the 'Traffic 2.0' project. I hope we can improve the situation even further if every road user decides to change their behavior: to refrain from dangerous overtaking, to not exceed the speed limit, to put away their mobile phone, and to respect others on the road," Kirs said.

According to Kirs, there is still work to be done on road etiquette. "Safe road use is not just a result of enforcement, but of a social contract and commitment. There will always be those who are careless, unobservant, or don't know how to behave. But it's within everyone else's power to condemn such behavior, just as we condemn littering," Kirs explained.

In 2025, there were 18 days with no traffic accidents involving casualties. On an average day, there were four such accidents, resulting in five injuries. Approximately 65 percent of all accidents with casualties occurred in populated areas. The remaining 35 percent of accidents happened outside populated areas, accounting for 27 deaths, or 63 percent of all fatalities.

The number of fatalities increased primarily among pedestrians, especially in populated areas and in accidents involving elderly people and crosswalks. Meanwhile, the number of deaths among car drivers was noticeably lower than in previous years. A separate trend highlighted in the 2025 statistics is a rise in injuries among riders of light personal transport vehicles aged 11 to 15, which may be linked to the increased use of these vehicles and risk-taking behavior in this age group.

Risk factors remain largely consistent with previous years. Driving under the influence of alcohol continues to be a major source of danger: of those involved in accidents, 18 percent of vehicle drivers and 31 percent of riders of light personal transport vehicles had consumed alcohol.

Last year, over 90,000 traffic misdemeanors and more than 2,500 traffic-related criminal offenses were registered. Automated surveillance systems recorded slightly more than 312,000 violations, and over 423,000 man-hours were dedicated to traffic enforcement. More than 1.1 million breathalyzer tests were conducted, resulting in over 5,800 registered cases of driving under the influence. Police officers identified 37,500 speeding incidents, while automated systems caught just under 311,000. Additionally, over 3,700 violations related to safety equipment use were recorded, along with 330 violations concerning child safety restraints.

In 2025, the Transport Administration invested 1.2 million euros to improve hazardous locations. Educational and preventive activities aimed at shaping traffic culture reached nearly 32,000 people. Cyclist training courses and exams were held in 279 schools, with 6,212 young people obtaining a bicycle license. Prevention efforts included six major media campaigns and four social media series throughout the year. Elderly road users were a special focus, with 28 'Seniors' Traffic Cafe' lectures held across Estonia.

In Estonia's maritime areas and inland waterways, nine vessel accidents and 10 hazardous incidents were registered in 2025. There were no fatalities, but six people were injured.

Shipping traffic in the Baltic Sea region remained intense in 2025, and shifting trade flows led to several changes: the proportion of tankers in the east-west traffic of the Gulf of Finland grew, the average age of vessels entering the region increased, and there was a rise in ships with complex ownership structures sailing under unconventional flags. This heightened the need for closer monitoring and international information sharing. The burden on anchorage areas also grew; for instance, near Vaindloo island, an average of 20 to 30 vessels were anchored, with peaks of up to 40.

Authorities conducted 213 inspections of Estonian-flagged vessels and 187 inspections of foreign-flagged vessels, issuing 1,112 improvement notices. Deficiencies were most frequently found in fire protection, navigation, and life-saving equipment. For recreational boats, 14 patrols were carried out, inspecting 118 small craft and personal watercraft and checking operators for sobriety. These checks identified one intoxicated operator and numerous violations, including non-compliant life-saving and fire safety gear.

In aviation, over 1,400 incidents were registered, including two accidents: a helicopter crashed into the sea near Vilsandi island, and a small aircraft was involved in an accident during takeoff in Ida-Viru County. The number of safety incident reports, however, decreased compared to 2024, primarily due to two major aviation companies ceasing operations.

Civil aviation in Estonian airspace continued to be affected by GNSS signal jamming, with new instances of signal spoofing also emerging, particularly in the Baltic Sea region.

Another growing safety concern was the increase in violations of unmanned aviation regulations, particularly drones being flown in restricted areas and at prohibited altitudes.