No less than 38 deaths occurred on the roads and trails of Quebec during the construction holidays, which represents the worst assessment of the last 10 years.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) has counted 25 collisions on the road network which it serves, during which 31 deaths occurred. At the same period last year, there had been 13 deaths on the roads.
To this assessment are added five collisions on the recreationouristic network, which gave rise to seven deaths. A year ago, there had been four deaths on the recreational tourism network during the construction holidays.
The provincial police force immediately affirms that it is the “worst assessment of the last 10 years” on the roads it monitors.
“It is a toll that is heavy. This is a tragic assessment, “says the lieutenant responsible for division at the SQ transport network security department, Joyce Kemp, in an interview with the Canadian press.
The SQ identifies distractions behind the wheel, non-compliance with speed limits, driving capacity weakened by drugs, alcohol or combination of the two, as well as the non-port of safety equipment as the main causes of serious road accidents.
What also emerges from this year’s assessment is the large number of accidents involving motorcyclists. The SQ counts 14 of the 30 deadly collisions that have occurred over the past two weeks.
“It’s huge. It’s unheard of. There are several factors, but the fact that the temperature was very favorable to motorcycle outputs, it could unfortunately contribute to the fact that there were so many fatal collisions involving motorcyclists, ”said Mr.me Kemp.
Another observation: more than half of the 30 fatal accidents during the construction holidays were a road trip or a swerve, thus involving a single vehicle and a loss of control.
“Until now, the information we have been able to have in relation to these collisions is a human factor, a human behavior and a decision of a driver who unfortunately led to the deadly collision,” explains Mme Kemp.
Prudence
For two weeks, the authorities have launched multiple calls for caution on the roads.
Halfway through the construction holidays, the SQ felt the need to turn to social networks to warn the public, since 17 deaths had already occurred during road accidents.
Two days later, the Quebec Automobile Insurance Company (SAAQ) made a public outing in turn, reporting a “worrying number of roads on roads”.
However, the heavy trend continued in the last straight line of the construction holidays.
Only last weekend last weekend, fatal accidents occurred in Saint-Moïse, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Cowansville, Estrie, Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, in Mauricie, Saint-Luc-de-Bellechasse, in boiler-appalaches, and in Kazabazua, in Outaouais, in particular.
Each year, the two weeks of the construction vacation are among the deadliest on the road network. There are an average of 17 deaths, 78 people seriously injured and 1358 people injured slightly, according to the SAAQ.
The police force indicates that it will maintain its efforts to raise awareness and intervention in the coming, since the holidays continue for many Quebecers.
“We ask people to redouble their prudence. It is a shared responsibility, road safety. Drivers are asked to have responsible driving to ensure their safety, but also that of all other users of transport networks, ”says Mme Kemp.
