Slow, elk crossing

last updated 8 January 2015

Helsinki

Finland began a zero-tolerance policy toward speeders this week in an effort to cut down on car crashes involving elks, the daily Helsinki Sanomat reported. When snow is heavy, as it has been this year, elks tend to walk on the highways rather than plowing their own routes through the countryside. A collision with one of the 400-pound animals is often fatal to both elk and driver, and the faster the car is going, the more likely an accident. Finnish police will now ticket drivers for exceeding the speed limit by as little as half a mile per hour.