Road safety record improved in Quebec in 2023 — but not for young people

While the overall toll of road deaths and injuries in Quebec improved in 2023, that wasn’t the case for young people aged 15 to 24.

And since the start of 2024, the road incident toll has worsened again.

The Quebec automobile insurance board (SAAQ) reported on Tuesday that 380 deaths were recorded in 2023, compared with 398 in 2022 and 346 in 2021. That’s an improvement in the overall road toll.

However, among young people aged 15 to 24, Quebec recorded 59 deaths in 2023, compared with 49 in 2022 and 45 in 2021. The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, finds the increase “worrying.”

Quebec also recorded 63 pedestrian deaths and 10 cyclist deaths in 2023.

Since the start of 2024, the toll has worsened again. Francis Bernardin, head of road safety at the Sûreté du Québec, said on Monday, at the launch of Road Worker Safety Awareness Week, that “despite the occasional improvement in the toll observed in 2023, we are currently seeing an overall deterioration in the road toll since the start of 2024.”

– This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 11, 2024.

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Posted in CTV