Road assessment: no fatal collisions on the archipelago in 2022

For the second year in a row, no fatal collisions occurred in the Islands in 2022, according to the annual report of the Sûreté du Québec released Tuesday.

For the region as a whole, which also includes the Lower St. Lawrence, the police force recorded 25 collisions resulting in death, compared to 26 in 2021.

However, a trend is emerging across Quebec: the deterioration of the road safety record over the past three years, with 266 collisions resulting in 291 deaths only in 2022.

According to Captain Paul Leduc, this phenomenon can be partly explained by the need for freedom fuelled by restrictive health measures, as well as an increase in the number of trips on our roads.

While the 16-24 age group has long been over-represented in the fatal crash toll, nearly one-quarter of fatal crashes in 2022 involved people over 65.

There has also been an increase in pedestrian fatalities, which is a concern for police, » said Leduc.

The leading cause of death on the road continues to be speeding and reckless driving, followed by driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or fatigue, and finally inattention and distraction.

Captain Leduc also notes a significant increase in files related to drug impairment since the legalization of cannabis in 2018 while, conversely, files involving alcohol are decreasing, which he believes demonstrates that prevention is working.