The death toll during the construction holidays will be higher this year.
According to preliminary figures, there have already been at least 20 deaths on roads patrolled by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), six more than during the same period last year.
In 2024, 14 people lost their lives on the road network served by the SQ during the same period, including four deaths involving off-road vehicles, according to data from the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
This weekend marks the end of the construction holiday in Quebec for some 200,000 households, and construction sites could reopen as early as Sunday. Increased traffic is expected on the roads, as about one-third of Quebecers are on vacation during this period, across all types of jobs.
For the past two weeks, authorities have issued multiple calls for caution on the roads. Reckless behavior, speeding, and fatigue while driving are among the causes of collisions that require emergency services to respond.
Every year, the two weeks of construction holidays are among the deadliest on the road network. According to the SAAQ, there are an average of 17 deaths, 78 people seriously injured, and 1,358 people slightly injured.
However, the weather was nice and warm this year during the construction holidays. This is consistent with statistics indicating that approximately 80 per cent of fatal collisions on our roads were preventable.
“What we’ve noticed is that when conditions are extreme, people slow down and take fewer risks,” said Simon-Pierre Poulin, spokesperson for the SAAQ, in a recent interview.
“In the summer, for example, during the construction holidays, the weather is nice, it’s warm, the sun is shining, and people take more risks. They drive faster. They’re in more of a hurry to get to their cottages, campsites, etc., and we can see from the figures that this leads to more accidents,” he said.
An official road safety report from the Sûreté du Québec, focusing specifically on accidents during the construction holidays, is expected to be released on Monday.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
