Fatal road collisions in Quebec saw a slight dip in 2023 compared with years prior, according to the Sûreté du Québec’s annual road report.
Provincial police responded to 240 fatal collisions resulting in 269 deaths last year.
The data published Thursday shows 2023 was on par with the average number of deaths over the past five years.
According to the police, speeding and reckless driving remains the deadliest cause of collisions last year at 31 per cent, followed by driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol at 16 per cent.
Distracted driving was the cause of nine per cent of deaths on Quebec roads.
The Sûreté du Québec points out that nearly 20 per cent of victims who died in road collisions were not wearing a seatbelt — a figure that has remained constant for the past three years despite multiple safety campaigns.
The Mauricie-Lanaudière was the region that recorded the highest number of fatal collisions with 39, followed by Capitale-Nationale-Chaudière-Appalaches with 35 and Estrie-Centre-du-Québec with 33.
There were 40 collisions involving a motorcycle, five fewer than the year prior and below the five-year average.
Twenty-seven pedestrians died on the roads last year, equivalent to the annual average between 2018 and 2022.
Six cyclists died in 2023, two fewer than in 2022.
In a press release, the Sûreté du Québec wrote that it was “happy to see an improvement in the road toll compared to last year,” a year that was not stellar.
In 2022, there were 266 fatal collisions, while there were 245 in 2021. The number of deaths had increased sharply, from 265 in 2021 to 291 in 2022.
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