(Montreal) The results of fatal accidents during the construction holidays will be heavier this year.
There were already at least 19 dead only on the roads served by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), according to a provisional assessment, four more deaths last year during the same period.
In 2024, 14 people had lost their lives on the road network served by the SQ during this same period, including five dead involving a off -road vehicle, according to data from the Quebec Automobile Insurance Company (SAAQ).
It is this weekend that construction holidays end in Quebec for some 200,000 households and sites could reopen on Sunday. We expect an increased traffic on the roads, while about the third of Quebecers are on leave during this period, all types of jobs combined.
For two weeks, the authorities have launched multiple calls for caution on the roads. Reckless behavior, speed, driving fatigue are in question in particular in collisions, where emergency services are called upon to intervene.
Each year, the two weeks of the construction vacation are among the deadliest on the road network. There are an average of 17 dead, 78 people seriously injured and 1358 people injured slightly, according to the SAAQ.
However, the weather was nice and warm this year during the construction holidays. This agrees with statistics that indicate that around 80 % of fatal collisions on our roads were avoidable.
“What we notice is that when there are extreme conditions, people slow down and take less risks,” said Simon-Pierre Poulin, SAAQ spokesperson, in a recent interview.
“In summer, for example, during the construction holidays, the weather is nice, it is hot, the sun is bright and people take more risks. They drive faster. They are no longer in a hurry to return to the chalet, to the campsite, etc., and we see it in the figures that it generates more accidents, “he said.
An official road balance sheet for the Sûreté du Québec, specifically on accidents during the construction holidays, is expected to be unveiled on Monday.