Montreal road deaths down in 2025, but accidents and serious injuries up: SAAQ road report
Posted June 16, 2026 8:21 am.
Last Updated June 20, 2026 5:39 pm.
The number of deaths on Montreal’s roads dropped last year compared to the previous five-year average, but the number of injuries went up.
That’s according to the 2025 road report released Tuesday by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
It shows 31 people died on Montreal’s roads last year – down 7.7 per cent compared to the average from 2020 to 2024.
But injuries shot up. There were 188 people seriously injured on Montreal’s roads in 2025, an increase of nine per cent. And 5,962 people sustained minor injuries, an increase of 6.7 per cent.
“One of the hypotheses may be that, first of all, cars are better built,” said André Durocher, director at CAA-Quebec Foundation. “There’s more people on the road, and it could be just a simple coincidence because, very often the difference between an injury and a death is simply luck. So it’s too early at this point to say what’s interesting with regards to statistics in order to draw conclusions.”
In Laval, there were five deaths, 31 people seriously injured — both significant decreases — and 1,264 people who received minor injuries — a slight increase.
“Individually and collectively, we all have a role to play in improving road safety,” said SAAQ president and CEO Serge Lamontagne, who described the statistics as “concerning.”
The total number of accidents was up 6.7 per cent in Montreal involving a total of 6,181 people.
Across Quebec, there was a slight increase in deaths compared to the previous five-year average (less than one per cent) but injuries were also up – 3.1 per cent for serious injuries, and 9.1 per cent for minor injuries.
That’s especially true among young people aged 15 to 24, as well as among those aged 75 and over.
Collisions involving heavy vehicles were on the rise, as were those involving pedestrians. Conversely, there was a decrease in accidents involving motorcyclists.
“We saw that just I think June 15, the SAAQ put into effect a new law making rules stricter for motorcyclists, meaning, for example, there are certain types of motorcycles that are prohibited for new drivers,” said Durocher. “Also, if these new drivers, young drivers, for example, have an infraction like the speeding or anything with regards to road safety, we’ll see their license suspended immediately.”
The report was released a week away from the beginning of what’s historically the deadliest time of year on Quebec’s roads – the 11 weeks between Saint-Jean (June 24) and Labour Day (Sept. 7).
“Some people take out their trailers once a year during the vacation,” explained Durocher. “Driving with a trailer when you’re hauling a trailer is not the same thing as when you’re driving just your vehicle. And sometimes in the summer, particularly with the type of summer, it seems like we’ll be getting, if there are heavy winds, side winds, these trailers could swerve. And it’s important for the person driving the trailer, but also if you’re going to pass a vehicle like that, just be aware that if there’s a sudden wind, there could be a shift in the direction and it could cause a collision.”
–With files from La Presse Canadienne
