Published March 20, 2024

By Trevor Greenway

A total of 279 people died on Quebec roads served by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) in 2023, and while “each fatality is one too many,” the provincial police force is pleased to see a near eight per cent drop in road deaths across its territories. 

According to the SQ’s annual report on road safety, there was a 7.5 per cent drop in road deaths across the province, including in the Outaouais-Laurentides region, which saw 25 people die in 2023 compared to 38 road fatalities the previous year. 

The report notes that the leading cause of fatal collisions is reckless driving and speed, in which 31 per cent of all road fatalities were caused by these driving behaviours. Impaired driving, which included both drugs and alcohol, caused 16 per cent of all fatal collisions in 2023 across the SQ’s territories. Nine per cent of fatal crashes were caused by distracted or inattentive driving. 

“These main causes remind us that human behaviour is at the root of the majority of fatal and serious-injury collisions,” the report noted. “The continued work of police officers in the field and the adoption of safe behaviours by motorists are therefore essential to reduce the number of road collisions.”

The SQ is the province’s provincial police force and serves nine rural regions in Quebec. 

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