Ylöjärvi driver escapes after young moose smashes Citroën on Highway 3

On June 3, 2023, Ylöjärvi resident Ilkka Mäkelä collided with a young moose on Highway 3 near the Rokkakoski junction toward Hämeenkyrö. His Citroën C5 estate was damaged beyond repair, but he suffered only minor scratches.

Mäkelä said the animal suddenly stood in the road and he saw it from roughly 20 metres while driving about 80 km/h. The moose hit the car's front corner, rode partly onto the bonnet and roof and shattered the windscreen. The airbags did not deploy, but the passenger compartment held up. An ambulance returning from Tampere happened to stop and check him. The rescue services attended, a breathalyser reading was clear, and a tow truck later removed the wreck. Mäkelä thinks the animal's youth likely reduced the worst damage and says he has continued to drive, but now watches the road edges more closely. "It was right there and that was that," he said.

Senior Detective Superintendent Markku Laakso said Pirkanmaa had recorded 94 moose collisions by October 30 this year, compared with 103 for the whole of last year. Collision counts typically spike in autumn because of mating, migration and poor weather. Ramboll Finland's wildlife-accident map shows hotspots such as Porintie in Nokia, Lahdentie in Kangasala, Helsingintie in Lempäälä and roads around Valkeakoski. Laakso advises drivers involved in a moose collision to use hazard lights, put on a reflective vest, set a warning triangle and call the emergency centre. If an injured moose moves on, police will coordinate tracking with local game management associations. Liikenneturva data for 2025 show more than 13,000 wildlife accidents nationwide, five fatal collisions (four involving moose) and 1,814 collisions with moose.

The crash comes after a recent police warning about rising moose collisions in the region and other local incidents, including a case where a moose had to be put down after a crash in Sastamala recently.