These speeding excesses that we tolerate

Why do we drive 20 km/h above the limit in Quebec?

The number one cause of deaths and serious injuries on the roads, excessive speed is commonplace in Quebec. The more than 250,000 tickets for speeding issued in Quebec in 2021 by the Sûreté du Québec are only the tip of the iceberg.

Stand along a road with a speed limit of 30 km/h in Quebec and you will quickly see drivers traveling at 50 km/h without being worried.

A 50 km/h road? Glass and metal cars weighing 2,500 kilos are often moved there at 70 km/h without anyone lifting a finger – except perhaps the middle finger of a motorist if a driver has the misfortune of respecting the limit.

And the maximums set at 70 km/h or 90 km/h are only suggestions: drivers simply think they are on a highway, making it impossible to travel safely by active transportation, such as walking, cycling or electric bikes along these axes present throughout the province.

Why is excessive speed by motorists so common and tolerated in Quebec?

Limited interceptions

For coroner Yvon Garneau, who has long been interested in road safety, the fact that excessive speed is common comes from the fact that the police prioritize extreme cases.

A side effect of this method is that the police will actually allow excessive speed most of the time.

Data from the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) speaks volumes on this subject. The vast majority (83%) of tickets handed out since the start of 2023 have been handed out to drivers caught driving more than 20 km/h above the limit.

“But when there are sufficient numbers, or during special operations, the police usually lower the tolerance based on their ability to intercept the at-fault drivers,” notes Mr. Garneau.

All tolerance disappears with photo radar, he explains. “In this case, the offense is systematically noted when the speed exceeds the limit by 5 to 8 km/h usually and depending on how dangerous the places are. » The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility is considering increasing the number of photo radars on Quebec roads from 54 to around 250 by 2028.

Asked about the excessive speed observed on Quebec roads, the media relations department of the Sûreté du Québec responded: “As soon as a driver exceeds the maximum speed limit, he or she risks receiving a ticket. Different factors, such as climatic conditions, road condition, road configuration, traffic density and visibility, are considered when detecting an infraction. »

Quebec rarely punishes speeding

In some countries and states, speeding is punished more severely than in Quebec.

For example, driving at 70 km/h in a 50 km/h zone will result in a fine of $55 in Quebec. In Norway, this offense carries a fine of 7,800 Norwegian crowns (976 Canadian dollars).

In this country, the posted limit is the maximum speed at which it is permitted to travel behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle, notes Christoffer Solstad Steen, spokesperson for Trygg Trafikk, a Norwegian non-governmental organization.

Travel by motor vehicle causes far fewer deaths and serious injuries in Norway. For example, 392 people died on Quebec roads in 2022. That’s 4.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. In Norway, 118 people died in the same year. That’s 2.2 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, or around 50% less than in Quebec.

If Quebec had the same mortality rate due to motor vehicle travel as Norway, 207 people who died on the province’s roads in 2022 would still be alive today. That’s more than one death avoided every two days.

“Lack of political courage”

For Marc Bellemare, lawyer specializing in the field of road accidents, it is the lack of political courage in Quebec which allows this situation of “open bar of speed” to persist.

“In Quebec, road safety is about big talk, little doer,” he said. Politicians are good at giving speeches and saying the right things. But when the time comes to tighten controls, to crack down in Parliament or in the courts, they are absent. »

The recent announcement by the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, of a series of measures to tackle the deterioration of the road toll, such as increasing fines for offenses against pedestrians and cyclists, reducing speed in the school zone and the increase in the number of photo radars, “very disappointed” him, he said.

“Nothing is operational. No one slowed down a bit on the roads of Quebec. Everything the minister says is on a piece of paper. That’s what Quebec is: we talk a lot, but we don’t act,” says M^e Bellemare, recalling that Quebec remains the only province in Canada not to impose administrative sanctions as soon as a driver’s blood alcohol level reaches 0.05, even if the risk of collision increases significantly beyond this threshold.

The fact that the road network is poorly monitored in Quebec “is no secret,” he said.

“Without surveillance, there is no fear. And without fear, everyone does what they want. Those who receive a ticket rationalize and tell themselves that, based on the number of times they have broken the limit, it is not that bad… Meanwhile, the road record is deteriorating, vehicles are increasingly bigger, more and more numerous, and more and more powerful. The cult of speed is still very present. »