Operation Orange asks drivers to slow down near construction sites
SQ, Transport Ministry team up to remind drivers to slow down, quit texting and pay attention
Quebecers are getting better at driving carefully when in construction zones, with a nearly 50% decline in the number of collisions and deaths in construction sites in the last five years.
The Quebec provincial police (SQ) and Transport Ministry launched the 15th edition of the Operation Orange campaign, which reminds people to drive slowly in construction zones, with the hope that the trend will continue.
"Our goal is to have people reduce their speed around these zones, but it's not just speed, it's texting, it's following too close." said SQ spokesperson Jason Allard.
As part of the operation, 15 new photo radar spots are being installed across the province.
There will also be a heavier SQ presence around construction sites.
Allard said he thinks Quebecers are increasingly aware of the heavy consequences of careless driving in construction zones.
"I think people are realizing that [when they are] in a zone where something is happening, there are consequences for going too fast, not only to themselves but to others as well," he said.
As always, fines for driving infractions are doubled in construction zones.