Road deaths up in 2015, but trend toward safer roads continues
Annual SAAQ report indicates safer young drivers, but more elderly road victims
The number of fatalities on Quebec roads increased in 2015, following a record low reached the previous year, according to data released by the province's automobile insurance board on Friday.
The SAAQ's annual update on vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents and injuries showed there were 361 deaths in 2015 compared to 322 in 2014 — a 12.1 per cent increase.
In spite of the increase, 2015 nevertheless saw the second lowest fatal collisions on record since 1945. Deaths on Quebec roads, moreover, were 13.8 per cent lower in 2015 when compared to the 2010-2014 average.
That continues a dramatic decline in road deaths since the early 1970s: There were 2,209 fatalities in 1973 alone.
"In spite of our efforts, our progress in road security remains fragile," said SAAQ president and CEO Nathalie Tremblay.
"The 2015 annual report is a sign that we have to continue our efforts, reinvent ways of influencing the behaviour of drivers and develop innovative approaches to outreach."
Safer young drivers?
The report shows a small uptick in 2015 — two per cent — in the number of motorcyclists injured or killed on the road, compared to the 2010-2014 average.
There was a small decline, 1.5 per cent, in the number of injured and dead cyclists, compared to the 2010-2014 period.
The number of pedestrians injured or killed in vehicular accidents was up six per cent compared to the average of the previous five years.
The report also held encouraging signs about young drivers. Since 2010, there has been a significant decline in the number of 15-24 year-olds killed or injured in road accidents.
There were 9,174 victims last year, compared to 12,596 in 2010.
Over the same period, however, there was a slight increase in the number of elderly drivers involved in accidents. The 2,501 victims in 2015 represented a 8.3 per cent increase over the 2010-2014 average.