The 75 deadliest days on Quebec’s roads are about to begin

Press release
Published on June 21, 2022

The 75 deadliest days on Quebec’s roads are about to begin 

For many years now, the stretch of summer from Quebec’s national holiday to Labour Day has been the deadliest time on Quebec’s roads. Most road accidents are preventable, so these grim statistics are a clear reminder to focus 100% on driving when you’re behind the wheel. 

 

Provincial figures at a glance  

The data collected by Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) is striking: 92 deaths were recorded between June 24 and September 7, 2021. For the second year in a row, Montérégie had the most victims with 14% of the deaths on record (13 of 92).   The highest proportion of deaths in 2021 occurred during these 75 days of summer for seven of Quebec’s administrative regions (in red). But the other 10 regions weren’t spared either—they accounted half of the total deaths (46 of 92).

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Statistics are available for each region. Contact the media team for details. 

Distractions and speed: Still the leading causes of death  

Unsurprisingly, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) 2021 Road Safety Record revealed that distracted driving was the leading cause of death during this period, followed closely by speed—a repeat of 2020. 

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“As the summer holidays begin, we encourage people to be extra cautious while driving and keep an eye on the speedometer. Over a distance of 20 km, driving at 110 km/h instead of 90 km/h barely saves you two minutes. Is it really worth the risk?” 

​- Marco Harrison, Road Safety Expert and Director of the CAA-Quebec Foundation Over the next few weeks, lots of people will be hitting the road for their summer holidays. Our most recent survey on vacation plans confirmed that 69% of Quebecers will be travelling by car this summer. That means our roads will be especially busy, and motorists should pay extra close attention and try to avoid distractions. 

We can do better! 

Every year, the CAA-Quebec Foundation hopes to see an improvement during these 75 days. It offers educational tools, advice, and best practices for driving that can help motorists prevent tragedy.   Here are some tips for a safe summer behind the wheel:

  • Plan out your route in advance to avoid surprises and properly assess how much time you’ll need to reach your destination.

  • Slow down, especially when approaching construction sites.

  • Always keep your full attention on the road and adapt your driving to weather conditions.

  • Apply the five keys for safe driving: Look up and ahead, see the big picture, keep your eyes moving, make sure they see you, gGive yourself an out.

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 2022 by the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria.