MONTREAL -- Quebec’s provincial police doled out a total of 22,143 tickets over the course of the province’s construction holiday, the force revealed on Wednesday.

The Surete du Quebec (SQ) had advised there would be an increased police presence on Quebec highways and bodies of water between July 17 and Aug. 2 because of an increase in drivers on the roads, heading to and from their holiday spots. Of the 22,143 tickets, 13,754 were for speeding. 

The SQ reports 988 impaired driving checkpoints were in place and 508 drivers screened or asked to perform coordination tests, 336 of which were arrested for impaired driving. 

There was an improvement this year over last in terms of collisions causing bodily injury – there were 490 in 2020 compared to 660 in 2019. But this year still saw eight fatal collisions on the SQ’s territory during the holiday period. That’s a decrease of eight from the year before. 

“Remember that speed, distraction and impaired driving remain the three main causes of collisions,” the SQ said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The force is reminding Quebecers to stay safe on the roads over the rest of the summer. It says it will continue its awareness and intervention efforts on the road network, along trails and on the water with its partners.