Week 42 – motoring news: vehicle tax messages, phone checks and the Vuosaari smoke test

The news sources in this roundup were published during the completed Monday-to-Sunday week. The practical question they share is whether the right information is available before departure: the vehicle’s tax status, the driver’s route instructions and the port’s current traffic arrangements. Below, we distinguish the authorities’ announcements from our practical recommendations.

1. Do not wait only for a paper vehicle tax bill

On 13 October 2026, Traficom reminded private customers that vehicle tax bills can arrive as an e-invoice in online banking, in OmaPosti or in Suomi.fi Messages. A reminder for unpaid tax can also be digital. The background is the move towards digital government mail in April 2026, not a new vehicle tax introduced this week.

Suomi.fi Messages may have been activated while using another authority’s services. You may therefore not have requested a separate change to your vehicle tax delivery method from Traficom. Check your digital mail channel and the email address saved in Suomi.fi. Our recommendation is to open the service through Traficom’s own website and check payment details there if a message looks suspicious. If the bill is missing, the vehicle-specific tax information and payment section in My e-Services shows its tax status and payment details. Overdue vehicle tax results in a prohibition on using the vehicle.

Businesses need to note the distinction: business customers receive a separately ordered business e-invoice or a paper invoice. Private customers’ Suomi.fi instructions should not simply be applied to all company vehicles. We recommend naming a person responsible for checking invoice receipt and payment, with a deputy to cover absences.

Kivra users also face a deadline: vehicle tax bills will no longer be sent to Kivra after 31 October 2026, and the service closes in Finland on 1 December 2026. Check bills already received there. Customers who also use OmaPosti will receive future messages and invoices there.

Source: Traficom, 13 October 2026 (in Finnish).

2. Two days of checks found 174 phone-use offences

Helsinki, Western Uusimaa and Eastern Uusimaa police departments carried out targeted checks on mobile phone and safety-device use on 12–13 October 2026. Results published on 14 October recorded 174 traffic penalty fees for phone use while driving and 87 for not wearing a seat belt. Three fines concerned failures to use children’s seat belts or child seats.

These figures describe what officers found in this targeted operation. They cannot establish the proportion of all drivers committing offences or show that phone use has increased: that would also require information about the amount and targeting of enforcement. Police emphasised adults’ example and responsibility for children’s safety.

Act before the vehicle moves: enter your navigation destination, put the phone out of reach and check passengers’ seat belts. Deal with route or work-task changes when safely parked. Businesses should also agree with dispatchers that drivers are not expected to read or acknowledge messages while driving. Safe practice should not be left to one driver’s decision during a busy shift.

Using safety devices and checking a vehicle’s technical condition are separate tasks. Other preparations for an inspection are covered in SK’s inspection checklist.

Source: Police, 14 October 2026; checks on 12–13 October (in Finnish).

3. Vuosaari smoke test checks safety – it does not reopen the tunnel

Fintraffic announced on 13 October 2026 that a smoke test would take place in Vuosaari road tunnel on Monday 19 October, 10:00–13:00 Finnish time. This is advance information published in week 42 about an event in week 43. The test checks smoke extraction fans using harmless cold smoke, which may also be visible at the tunnel entrances.

The test is part of the renewal of the tunnel’s technical systems. Fintraffic says the tunnel is due to return to traffic in January 2027. The smoke test therefore does not mean the route is opening. According to the Port of Helsinki, the renovation diversion runs via Itäväylä, Kallvikintie, Niinisaarentie and Satamakaari.

Port-bound drivers and transport planners should check the route and traffic situation before departure and share the same instructions with occasional relief drivers. An old saved navigation route is not enough. Allow some flexibility for deliveries or check-in, but do not treat this article as an estimate of the diversion’s exact journey time: congestion varies.

Plan heavy-vehicle inspections separately from the port route. Before booking, check the location and service suitable for your vehicle in SK’s station information.

Sources: Fintraffic, 13 October 2026 and Port of Helsinki diversion guidance (in Finnish).