Yes, there are more accidents when we switch to winter time

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• Start of the list Yes, there are more accidents when we switch to winter time of 6 elements. Skip the list?

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    PHOTO: - / Alain Béland

    Yes, there are more accidents when we switch to winter time

  • 25 %

    This is the increase in road accidents occurring in the early evening in the 30 days following the fall time change, from 2019 to 2023, according to data from the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). ) taken up by The Press. Most often, pedestrians are victims. The opposite phenomenon occurs at the spring time change: the SAAQ notes a sharp drop in accidents over the same period.

  • Pedestrians more at risk when it is dark

    • Around 450 injury collisions occur on average in November.
    • Pedestrians are victims in 78% of cases.
    • In March, when we switch to summer time, there are on average 200 accidents with injuries.
    • Accidents involving pedestrians are 45% fewer in spring.

    SAAQ data, from 2019 to 2023

  • “Fall is always a time when traffic is heavy. At the end of the day, people leave the office, school and public transport. They are on foot, it is dark, so if urban lighting is not adequate, they are much more exposed to risks. »

    SANDRINE CABANA-DEGANI

    General Director of the organization Piétons Québec

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    These data are published as the Quebec government studies the possibility of abolishing the time change. The Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, who launched a web questionnaire on the subject to survey the population, emphasizes that the reflection is fueled by certain studies which note, among other things, an increase in accidents after the time change.

  • Better layout

    Piétons Québec does not believe that abolishing the time change is the solution. No matter what time of year you choose, there will always be a time of day when people on foot will be in the dark, the organization points out. Better facilities, such as better-lit pedestrian crossings, must be prioritized, says the general director.

  End of list Yes, there are more accidents when we switch to 6-element winter time. Return to top of list?

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