Decline of deaths on the roads in 2017

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QMI agency

Wednesday, 16 August, 2017 20:45

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Wednesday, 16 August, 2017 20:45

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Even if several fatal accidents have taken place during the construction holiday, the partial balance sheet of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) for 2017 is improved in comparison to last year.

For the first six months of the year, a decrease of 8 % of deaths on Québec roads has been observed, while an improvement even more significant has taken place with respect to the number of serious injuries, their number being 12 % lower since January compared to the same period last year.

“There’s an improvement in all categories if we compare month by month compared to last year and compared to the average of the previous five years. Therefore, the trend regarding the improvement of the balance sheet tends to continue for the remainder of the year,” said Gino Desrosiers, a spokesperson for the SAAQ.

The SAAQ hopes that the trend of recent weeks will not come to spoil the balance at the end of the year.

“Each year, when you look at the data, the months of July, August and September are the months where you will find the highest number of victims on the roads. Already, it can be seen that with the construction holiday, it has not been a month of July very strong,” said Mr. Desrosiers.

The holidays have been rather grim, with 22 deaths on the territory covered by the Sûreté du Québec. Add that 26 motorcyclists have also been killed since the start of the summer season.

Hoping to present a balance sheet better than last year, campaigns to raise awareness of the SAAQ will begin in a few days at the start of classes.