22 deaths on Quebec roads mark deadliest construction holiday in over a decade

Quebec provincial police have released their final accident report for the province's annual, two-week construction holiday — and the numbers are grim. 

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) says 22 people died in vehicle crashes during this period — the deadliest in more than a decade. 

Last year, 13 people were killed over the two weeks.

"It's awful, it's tragic, to think that [22] families are in mourning when they thought they were on vacation, having fun," said Paul Leduc, the former chief of traffic safety services for the SQ. 

The construction holiday is traditionally a period with a lot of travel — and road fatalities. It falls during a broader period when road death rates are usually higher from St-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24 to Labour Day on Sept. 5. 

A spokesperson for Quebec's auto insurance agency says many of these crashes are caused by human behaviour. 

"Head-on collisions caused by illegal passing, speeding, impaired driving — behaviours that drivers can avoid," said Gino Desrosiers with the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

In its report, the SQ came to the same conclusion. The majority of this year's collisions, the report said, were related to driver behaviour, including speeding.

Within the first week of the construction holiday, the SQ had reported 15 deaths, stressing the need to reverse the trend.

As the holidays continue into August, police are urging motorists to remain cautious when travelling.

"Slow down, wear your seat belt, don't mix alcohol, drugs or even your phone with driving," said Sgt. Jean-Raphaël Drolet in a video posted to YouTube. 

Quebec's Labour Minister Jean Boulet also called for caution, especially around construction sites, now that employees are back at work. 

"There's zero tolerance at this point," he said, noting that many accidents near construction sites are often the result of aggressive or reckless driving behaviour. 

"Let's be careful, let's not let our guard down.… We have to allow everyone to work in a safe and healthy environment."