Nunavik drives off Quebec’s radar

This Kuujjuaq vehicle has seen better days, and in southern Quebec wouldn’t be let on the roads. But in Nunavik, Quebec’s highway safety code hasn’t been enforced because until recently there weren’t enough privately-owned vehicles to be a problem. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

No, this isn’t St. Maarten in the Caribbean, but Kuujjuaq, where you can still drive a car with the license plate of your choosing, if it’s not formally registered in Quebec. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

KUUJJUAQ — Imagine a place with no posted speed limits, few licensed or insured drivers, and many unregistered vehicles.

For the moment, you can find this place in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik’s largest community, which has been off the radar of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, which handles vehicle licensing and registration in the province.

In Kuujjuaq, the saucy souvenir license plates that some people put on their cars and trucks the first tip-off that something is different here that in southern Quebec or in Nunavut.

Private vehicle owners can chose the license plates because they aren’t obliged to license their cars and trucks.

And some of these vehicles, like those with missing body parts and windows covered up with plastic bags, clearly shouldn’t be on the road.

You can also see vehicles speeding down the roads in town. The speed limit in Nunavik communities is supposed to be 50 kilometres unless otherwise posted.

But few drivers know this.

It’s not all the drivers’ fault— the nearest driving school and licensing bureau are located more than 1,500 kilometres away to the south.

There are also few car mechanics in Nunavik to repair damages and even fewer road signs.

Until 10 years ago, most people in Nunavik didn’t even own a car or truck of their own.

But the combination of more jobs and paved roads has encouraged many to buy their own vehicles.

The increase in traffic has already led to many legal headaches caused by accidents involving unregistered and uninsured cars and trucks as well as off-road vehicles like snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles.

Quebec has what’s called “no fault” insurance, which means that if you have an accident, your own insurance covers the damage, no matter whose fault the collision is. But you have to have your own insurance to be covered.

Nunavik organizations, like the Kativik Regional Government, already license their vehicles with special “c”-numbered Quebec plates and try to hire licensed drivers to avoid problems with insurance coverage.

But now the Kativik Regional Police Force and other Nunavik organizations say they want to encourage the public to keep their vehicles in better shape and to drive more carefully.

The KRPF plans to list potential unsafe intersections and places in Nunavik communities where there are no road signs and recommend how municipalities can make changes to improve safety.

And police say they want to raise awareness of driver licensing.

As it stands now, if you’re 16, you can go to the police and get your territorial license, without any special instruction or preparation.

The Kativik School Board now has plans to offer a road safety education course, which will include 24 hours of classroom theory and 15 hours of in-car driving, and is in the process of obtaining its accreditation as a certified driving school in Nunavik.

By 2011, drivers training classes— which may include use of a vehicle simulator to offer a taste of real highway driving— will allow Nunavimmiut get their provincial driver’s licenses.

The KRPF also says it will continue to crack down on impaired drivers who cause many of the injuries which are the leading cause of non-criminal death in Nunavik.

“Anti-impaired driving messages are quite prevalent in all Nunavik communities, but largely ignored by offenders,” admit police.

During the first six months of 2010, the KRPF opened 505 files for impaired driving compared to 263 in 2008.

The KRG is also attempting to use bylaw tickets to stop highway safety code offenses and reduce joyriding in communities.

Better now to work on bringing Nunavik’s drivers and road safety up to par with the rest of Quebec, some say, because it’s just a matter of time before Kuujjuaraapik and Kuujjuaq get connected to Quebec’s road network.

And throughout Nunavik, the growing number of cars, trucks and all-terrain vehicles— and the few rules that govern their use— set the stage for many serious collisions that kill and maim many Nunavimmiut every year.