2024-03-26 04:00:00
A coroner recommends suspending the driving licenses of road users who do not wear their seat belts after the death of a 25-year-old man in a pileup in Montérégie.
• Read also: Road accident in Montérégie: one dead and four injured
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“In order to avoid unnecessary loss of lives, wearing a seat belt is one of the best measures to protect occupants in a car during a road accident,” underlines coroner Rudi Daelman.
He recently made public his investigation into the death of Félix Demers-Dubé. The Beloeil resident lost his life after a violent collision in January 2022 on Route 133, near Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, in Montérégie.
One of the three vehicles involved had veered out of its lane for an unknown reason, leading to a head-to-head collision.
Mr. Demers-Dubé, a passenger in a Hyundai Accent, was found inert and lying in the bottom of the vehicle. His seat belt was undone.
Félix Demers-Dubé, a resident of Beloeil, lost his life after a violent collision on Route 133, near Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, in Montérégie. He was found with his seat belt unbuckled. Facebook photo
“This is an avoidable accidental death,” Mr. Daelman concluded in his report.
“A death on our roads in Quebec is regrettable, especially when it concerns young people who are starting their lives,” he wrote to Journal.
Temporary suspension
Despite the extensive police operations and the awareness-raising efforts of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to encourage Quebecers to get attached, “it is worrying to realize that the results are not there”, deplores Me Daelman.
The coroner therefore recommends that the SAAQ make changes to the Highway Safety Code.
Drivers and passengers found unbelted in a moving vehicle could see their driving license or right to obtain one temporarily suspended, he suggests, illustrating a three-month period as an example.
Such a measure would have a “more dissuasive effect,” says Mr. Daelman.
Main causes of fatal collisions in 2023
- Reckless driving and speeding (31% of collisions);
- Driving ability impaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue (16%);
- Inattention or distraction (9%).
Source: Sûreté du Québec
“It’s applicable,” said André Durocher, spokesperson for CAA-Quebec. The only thing is that it requires social acceptability.”
Currently, a person can receive a fine ranging from $200 to $300 and three demerit points.
Too many victims
The 2023 road report from the Sûreté du Québec also reveals that nearly 20% of victims who died in collisions were not wearing seat belts.
This is a statistic comparable to previous years. In 2022, this rate rose to almost 30%.
“This is proof that we should never take road safety habits for granted,” underlines André Durocher, who worked for three decades with the City of Montreal Police Department.
The damaged vehicle in which Félix Demers-Dubé was, on the evening of his death, in January 2022. Thierry Laforce / QMI Agency
Nevertheless, the vast majority of passengers and drivers respect the Road Safety Code and are committed, recall the stakeholders consulted by The newspaper.
According to our information, the SAAQ is currently working on an awareness campaign related to wearing a seat belt.
It remains to be seen how this recommendation from the coroner will be received by the SAAQ, an organization linked to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
“We address the subject in our prevention actions, during conferences with young people, seniors and newcomers,” Gino Desrosiers, a spokesperson, assured by email.
Ironically, the Minister of Transport and responsible for the Road Safety Code, Geneviève Guilbault, had to apologize last summer for not having worn her seat belt on certain occasions, as evidenced by photos posted on social networks .
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