Drat bill 22: CAA-Quebec takes action to improve road safety
On March 16, CAA-Quebec took part in the Committee on Transportation and the Environment’s special consultations on draft bill 22: An Act to amend the Automobile Insurance Act, the Highway Safety Code and other provisions.
CAA-Quebec is grateful to have been invited to share its recommendations on three important road safety issues: allowing tow-truck drivers to use a flashing green light, drinking and driving, and the laws and regulations governing school zones.
Patroller safety: Flashing green lights for tow trucks
Draft bill no. 22 takes a significant step toward making tow-truck drivers safer by giving them the right to use flashing green lights. CAA-Quebec has been calling for greater visibility on the road for a number of years.
“This measure is great news for CAA-Quebec and our roadside assistance service, since it will make our patrollers much safer. We’re working to help our employees and partners feel safer by making them more visible when assisting vehicles. ”
Sophie Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs and Road Safety
Drinking and driving
CAA-Quebec supports the provisions in draft bill no. 22 regarding drinking and driving, including the proposed zero tolerance for drivers with learners’ permits for specific vehicle classes.
“When learning to drive a new class of vehicle, drivers need to be totally focused and in the best possible physical and mental state, which just isn’t the case if someone has alcohol in their blood,” explains Marco Harrison, Director of the CAA-Quebec Foundation.
CAA-Quebec used its time before the parliamentary committee to once again invite lawmakers to add administrative sanctions to the Highway Safety Code for blood alcohol concentrations between 50 mg/100 ml and 80 mg/100 ml. Says Gagnon, “We need to look at the growing social acceptability of administrative sanctions. They’re proven tools in the fight against drinking and driving, which is still one of the main causes of death on the road.” Quebec is currently the only province that has not yet adopted such administrative sanctions, despite studies that demonstrate their direct and significant impact on vehicle collision statistics.
School zone regulations
CAA-Quebec is also in favour of the criteria in the proposed rules for school zones and school hours (Règlement encadrant l’établissement des zones scolaires et définissant la période scolaire), since they will keep children safer.
Given all the dangerous driving observed in a short period of time during its last road safety check in school zones, however, CAA-Quebec also believes that more needs to be done in terms of prevention and awareness, including an increased police presence during school hours.
For more information, see the full document presented during the consultation (in French).
About CAA-Quebec
CAA-Quebec is a not-for-profit organization that assists each of its members by providing mobility, travel, insurance, and residential benefits, products, and services. CAA was named Canada’s most trusted brand in the annual Brand Trust Index for 2021 by the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria.
–30–