It’s summer, and that means a lot more people on the roads. With 54 per cent of Quebecers saying they plan to travel within the province this year, CAA-Quebec is forewarning everyone to prioritize safety. Historically, the 75 days between the Fête Nationale and Labour Day have always been the deadliest on Quebec roads, according to data from the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). “There are vacations, lots of people aren’t working, lots of different types of users are on the road; not just cars,” CAA-Quebec spokesperson Simon Bourassa tells Noovo Info. “There are RVs; there are motorbikes; there are cyclists, pedestrians, of course, and vulnerable users.” CAA-Quebec points out that many road collisions are preventable, with police reports from 2020 to 2024 finding that the leading causes of fatal road accidents in the summer are distracted driving, speeding and driving under the influence. “It’s ‘minor carelessness’ but the consequences are dramatic; lives are lost, but we tend to trivialize these behaviours,” adds CAA-Quebec spokesperson Simon-Pierre Poulin. “The light turns yellow, you speed up, you take a chance.” In 2024, CAA-Quebec reported 379 road fatalities in Quebec, a 5.6 per cent increase over the average from 2019 to 2023, making it the third-worst year overall for road deaths since 2013. Last summer, there were 83 deaths related to road incidents, down from 93 in 2023 and 116 in 2022. CAA-Quebec says in recent years, it has also observed a spike in road deaths after Labour Day until mid-November. Keeping everyone safe Here are some ways to stay safe on the roads this summer:
