15 people die in crashes in 1st week of construction holiday, Quebec's deadliest days on the road

Quebec provincial police say that only halfway through the province's annual, two-week construction holiday, already 15 people have died in traffic crashes.

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

Road safety officials say distraction and speed tend to be the culprits in many serious crashes and they are calling for greater vigilance by drivers on the roads this summer.

"It's kind of alarming to start the construction holiday with this report," said David Marcille, spokesperson for CAA Quebec.

"It's very worrying for the total amount of deaths we'll have on the roads for 2023."

The construction holiday is traditionally a period with a lot of travel — and road fatalities. It falls during a broader period of elevated death rates from St-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24 to Labour Day on Sept. 5. Those 75 days are the deadliest on Quebec roads, said Marcille.

In CAA's June news release, they said that period in the summer usually accounts for almost a third of all recorded deaths in a full year. In 2022, 116 people died from accidents during that period.

"The simple reason why there's an increase during that period of time is because the roads are busier with different kinds of road users," says Marcille.

Not only are roads full of visitors from out of province, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians, but over half of Quebecers will also be spending their vacations in the province, according to a CAA survey.

Marcille says 80 per cent of accidents are avoidable, caused by distraction, fatigue, alcohol, speeding and even eating behind the wheel.

"It's all little things that distract [from] driving. That's why we need to be really aware of what could be a distraction," said Marcille.

"When you drive, keep in mind that you share the road with people who are more vulnerable."

While the construction holiday is a popular time of year to leave on holiday, Marcille says even more people will be taking time off after it ends on Aug. 6.

Marcille recommends drivers indicate lane changes, check their blind spots, keep their gaze moving and be mindful of speed and its impact on braking distance.

"Don't be in a rush," said Marcille.

"To give you a concrete example. On a distance of 20 kilometres, going 110 km/h instead of, let's say, 90 km/h will gain you not even two minutes and will also increase your fuel consumption by 15 per cent. Is it really worth it? I don't think so."