Provincial police urge caution on Quebec roads, waterways over construction holiday

With the kickoff to the construction holiday underway in Quebec, provincial police are urging motorists to be careful behind the wheel.

Officers from the Sûrete du Quebec will be out in full force over the next two weeks in an effort to curb dangerous driving on the provinces roads, trails and waterways during the construction holiday.

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Close to 160,000 vacationing Quebecers hit the road during the province’s two-week holiday making it one of the busiest times of the year on Quebec highways with a high potential for danger, SQ spokesperson Sgt. Catherine Bernard said.

“During the next two weeks all the police officers of the Sûreté du Quebec will be present to conduct massive operations on the roads and on the trails, different lakes and rivers,” Bernard said.

As of mid-July, police had seen a slight increase in fatal collisions, Bernard said. Provincial police have recorded 113 deadly accidents claiming the lives of 123 people so far this year.

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“Last year we had nine fatal collisions on the road during the two week period and three people died while riding the trails,” Bernard said.

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On the road, the deadliest factors continue to be speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

CAA Quebec say that they have noticed that the number of people venturing out on vacation this summer is close to pre-pandemic figures.

“With measures being lifted people are heading back out,” CAA spokesperson Nicolas Ryan said.

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The 75 days of summer starting in May and ending in August are the deadliest days in Quebec when it comes to road accidents, according to Ryan.

“It’s quite concerning year after year to see these figures. The current portrait for this summer is even more concerning with numbers on the rise,” Ryan said.

Both provincial police and CAA Quebec advise drivers slow down.

“Someone going 110 kilometers an hour versus someone going 90 on a 20-kilometer distance, that’s about two minutes that you’re saving but you are multiplying the risk, putting your life at stake,” Ryan said.