Quebec construction holiday begins

The city’s annual mass exodus has begun.

Quebec’s two-week construction holiday runs until Aug. 3. It’s a time for rest and rejuvenation, but for provincial police (SQ) it’s the busiest time of summer.

“The construction holiday is a time of year where there the number of fatal and serious car collisions is higher,” said SQ spokesperson Joyce Kemp.

Provincial police are stepping up patrols and are on highways, trails, and waterways checking for speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving.

“Unfortunately, year after year, these are the main causes of serious and fatal collisions,” Kemp said.

Whether you’re up north or out of the country, tech experts are also warning against posting your holiday photos before returning home.

“It’s incredibly tempting to share the details of your vacation while it’s happening,” said Carmi Levy, CTV News technology analyst. “That’s the ‘social’ of social media. The flip side, though, of course, is that can expose us, our homes to significant risk if we’re not careful because you’re telling your friends that you’re away, you’re also telling criminals that your house is empty.”

According to Allstate Insurance, burglaries are most frequent during summer months when homes are empty. A recent survey found nine per cent of people post vacation details before they leave and 28 per cent post pictures while they’re away.

“One of the really alarming statistics was that 15 per cent of those people who are posting pictures on social media, its actually more important for them to put those pictures than to actually keep their home safe,” said Marc Tannous, an Agency Manager with Allstate Canada.

Levy said it does not mean vacation pictures should never be posted.

“Consider what you’re posting and when. In many cases, things that you post will be location stamped and so you don’t want something with a location stamp, not from your hometown while you’re not in your hometown,” Levy said. “So wait until you get home.”

All ways to make sure you have peace of mind during your time off this summer.