The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) reports a worrying increase in the number of road deaths in its 2022 road report.
Some 392 deaths are counted in the report published Monday, 45 more than in 2021. The SAAQ notes that this is an increase of 13.2% compared to the average from 2017 to 2021.
Of particular concern is the 22.7% increase in pedestrian fatalities in 2022, compared to this same average. A total of 79 pedestrians lost their lives last year.
“One accident is one too many! The data made public today is worrying, particularly with regard to pedestrian fatalities,” said the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, in a press release, noting that the government will soon table a road safety action.
The collective defense organization for pedestrian rights, Piétons Québec, points out that this is the worst road record for pedestrians in the last 15 years.
“Pedestrians are unfortunately paying the price for our collective inaction to protect them,” insists the organization’s executive director, Sandrine Cabana-Degani.
She adds that the action plan of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility must “be ambitious and include structuring measures on the scale of Quebec making it possible to secure the travel of vulnerable users”.
Deaths of motorcyclists and deaths in accidents involving a heavy vehicle are also up, respectively by 10.1% and 17.3% compared to the 2017-2021 average.
95 people died in an accident involving a heavy vehicle in 2022.
The SAAQ emphasizes that, in light of these data, it intends to continue its prevention efforts with the population.
An awareness campaign has also been underway since the end of last month. Entitled “On the road, we behave well”, it aims to make drivers aware of the importance of sharing the road with the most vulnerable users and protecting them.
Among other data, 61 motorcyclists and 9 cyclists died in road accidents in 2022.
Also, 1,275 people were seriously injured and 27,048 slightly injured, two figures that are up from 2021.