At least 37,000 tickets handed out in Quebec school zones in 2022: police

Quebec municipal police officers handed out at least 37,000 tickets to motorists for failing to observe road safety in school zones in 2022.

The Quebec association of police chiefs (ADPQ) released the data on Tuesday as the new school year begins.

The association pointed out that this number is only the "tip of the iceberg."

The ADPQ explains that it has only counted the number of offence notices issued during targeted operations, which are carried out at certain times of the year, which is far from encompassing all interventions by municipal police forces.

"The statistics are conservative. The number of tickets issued across Quebec is much higher," ADPQ president Pierre Brochet told a press conference.

Nevertheless, the 36,979 tickets issued by his association, spread over 10 regions, "show that there are a lot of drivers who do not respect the regulations in school zones," said Brochet.

"That's 3,000 tickets a month. And I repeat, this is a major effort on the part of all police officers, despite the fact that this figure is greatly underestimated," he said.

The statistics are in addition to those from the Quebec auto insurance board (SAAQ) which were made public last June by the ADPQ, according to which 71 per cent of drivers exceed speed limits near parks and schools.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 29, 2023.