The Finnish capital is comparable in population size to Dublin, with around 1.5 million people living in or near it.

However, while Irish road deaths are on the increase, with 23 recorded in Dublin in 2024, Helsinki has seen a steady decline for decades.

City officials attribute their unprecedented achievement to aggressive speed limit reductions as well as investment in car alternatives, POLITICO reports.

Speed limits were reduced from 40 to 30 kilometres per hour — or from around 25 to 19 miles per hour — in residential areas and the city centre in 2021.

The city previously came close to the milestone achievement in 2019, when it recorded zero pedestrian or cyclist deaths for the first time, but did record one motorist’s death.