(Montreal) The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) observes an increase in the number of fatal collisions in the territory it serves in the province compared to the previous year.
Posted at 6:22 a.m.
In its road report for the year 2021, data from the SQ show an increase in the number of fatal collisions, and not only compared to 2020 since the figures presented Thursday morning are above the average of the last five years, which is 233 fatal collisions.
The SQ investigated 245 fatal collisions in Quebec in 2021, 14 more than in 2020.
It should be noted that just over 20% of victims who died in road crashes where the intervention of the Sûreté du Québec was necessary did not wear seat belts.
The main causes of fatal crashes remain speeding and reckless driving, which accounted for 24.5% of cases last year.
Next in order are deaths linked to driving with impaired driving abilities, drugs or fatigue (14%) and distracted driving (7%).
With regard to collisions involving at least one motorcycle, the SQ counted 57 collisions in 2021, up from the average of the previous five years of 41 collisions with a motorcycle.
Five more pedestrians were killed in 2021 on the roads served by the Sûreté du Québec, or 23 pedestrians, and six cyclists died, the same as the road toll in 2020.
It is in Montérégie that the number of fatal accidents listed by the SQ was the highest with 41 fatal collisions in 2021 compared to 26 a year earlier in this same region.