Montreal Urban Life

Car Driving Tips

Montreal car driving tips start with maximum speed limits at 100km/h (62m/h) on highways, 80km/h (50m/h) on rural highways and 50km/h (31m/h) in built-up areas.

The present Administration recently agreed to reduce the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h in residential areas. In school zones, the speed limit is already at 30km/h.

It is illegal to turn right at a red light on the island of Montreal. Those turns, however, are legal elsewhere in the province unless posted otherwise. Call it cultural safety! The minimum driving age is 16 years old.

On drinking and driving accidents, efforts have been made, but distressing statistics continue. A total of 36% of people killed in highway accidents had an illegal amount of alcohol in their blood. One worry is that many who drink think they will not get caught, that they will get away with it.

Road Safety Tips

There are often road checks for intoxicated drivers. Drunk driving is a serious offence with serious consequences. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%.

Seatbelts must be worn at all times, by all passengers, in both the back and front seats.

Children must be secured in properly installed, specially designed seats adjusted to their height and weight until they are big enough to properly wear seatbelts.

Radar detection devices are strictly prohibited and may not be carried or used in automobiles.

Cars must stop at least five metres from a school bus if its hazard lights are flashing. It is only possible to pass a school bus when the hazard lights are off, once you have made sure that it can be done safely.

Distracted Driving

Any kind of distraction increases your risk taken and decreases your safety margin.

The use of hand-held cell phones has been banned since July 1, 2008, but hands free devices are still allowed.

Managing children, changing the radio station, eating and drinking, talking on the phone, talking to a passenger, personal grooming are all distractions.

Distractions cause drivers to react more slowly to traffic conditions or events such as making a left turn or pulling out from a side road.

Distracted drivers fail to recognize potential hazards, including pedestrians, bicycles or debris in the road.

Driving at Night

The following car driving tips will help you stay secure while driving at night. Twilight is one of the most difficult times to drive, because your eyes are constantly changing to adapt to the growing darkness.

Make frequent stops for light snacks and exercise. If you're too tired to drive, stop and get some rest.

Try to stick with well-lit roads.

Observe night driving safety as soon as the sun goes down.

Keep windshield (inside and out) and lights (both head and tail lights) clean.

Make sure headlights are properly aimed. You may blind oncoming drivers and reduce your ability to see the road properly.

Reduce your speed and increase your following distance at night. Some roads may have lower nighttime speed limits.

Question and answer games are an ideal way to find out about driving hazards, and to become safety conscious and skilled with safety rules and car driving tips. Transport Québec offers Quizzes and the Société de l'assurance automobile offers games called Règles de sécurité.

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Useful Sites
Carpool Program
Operation Red Nose
Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec
Table québécoise de la sécurité routière
Traffic Webcams
Transport Québec
Weather Network

Stranger Smart / Urban Behavior
City Street Maps Free of the 19 Montreal Boroughs (PDF)

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