(Montreal) The deadliest season on the roads of Quebec began a few days ago and, already, “it follows the trend” of previous years, warned the director of the CAA-Quebec Foundation, Marco Harrison.
Posted at 1:09 p.m.
According to CAA, the 75-day period between Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and Labor Day is historically when the most fatal traffic accidents occur in the province.
“There are already 5 deaths on the roads in 6 days,” said Mr. Harrison in a telephone interview Thursday.
In 2021, a total of 92 deaths had occurred during these two and a half months, according to the road safety report of the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). Although this period only corresponds to the fifth of the year, it has seen more than a quarter of its 347 deaths.
It’s the season when “we see a lot of motorcyclists, cyclists, there are more pedestrians on the streets”, and more traffic means more accidents, explained SAAQ spokesperson Mario Vaillancourt. , in a telephone interview.
“Unfortunately, sharing the road is still a difficult thing for some of the users to understand,” Harrison added.
He also pointed out that there is “an influx of visitors who come from outside, whether from another province or from the United States”. There is “a substantially higher number of recreational vehicles on the roads”, he added, recalling that “during the two years of the pandemic, there was a craze for this type of vehicle and there is is sold a lot”.
CAA’s annual summer travel intentions survey, released on 1er June, indicates that almost half (45%) of Quebecers plan to travel within the province, compared to 28% who will go elsewhere in Canada or abroad and 20% who will stay at home.
Speed and distraction
MM. Harrison and Vaillancourt agree that the main causes of accidents are distraction and speeding behind the wheel.
“Most people are on vacation, so I don’t see the urge to drive fast, to be distracted,” Harrison added. Let’s say we’re driving at 110 km/h instead of 90 km/h on a road where the speed limit is 90. Well, over 20 km, you’ll save barely 2 minutes. Is it really worth it? »
He made a point of recalling the importance of staying on the lookout, of making sure that you are seen and of always keeping a safe distance from other cars, in order to always have the leeway to brake suddenly or avoid a obstacle.
“So plan your trip in advance, now there are a lot of applications or sites on the internet where you can go and look at the trip you want to take. […] Are there any pitfalls along the way, are there works on the route I want to use? Because it will influence the movement. »
The SAAQ also warns against the consequences of fatigue at the wheel during long vacation trips with the awareness campaign “Stop before fatigue stops you”, launched in recent weeks.
Despite everything, “for a good ten years, the road safety record has nevertheless improved, tempered Mr. Vaillancourt. The number of accidents as such is decreasing. However, he recalled that “one death is always one too many”.
In 2011, the number of deaths was 479, 132 more than in 2021.