Whether you are a tourist or a newcomer, you may receive compensation if you are injured or a loved one is killed in a traffic accident in Québec.
Individuals who do not reside in Québec and tourists are covered by Québec's public automobile insurance plan under certain conditions.
If you have sustained bodily injuries in a traffic accident, you must contact us to file a claim for compensation, not the owner of the vehicle who may have caused the accident.
Once we have received and analyzed your claim, you may be entitled to indemnities that will be calculated on the basis of the degree to which you were not responsible for the accident.
It is important to note that our insurance plan is based on the “no-fault” principle, which prohibits any court proceedings against another road user, regardless of whether that person was responsible for the accident.
During the accident, if you were on board a vehicle registered in Québec, whether as a driver or a passenger, you are considered a resident of Québec under the plan.
As a result, if you have sustained injuries, or in the event of a death, you may be entitled to the same indemnities as any other resident of Québec, regardless of your responsibility for the accident.
As for any other Quebecer, however, certain accidents are not covered. An example would be the case of a snowmobile accident that occurred without involving another moving vehicle that is covered by the plan.
If you were on board a vehicle registered outside Québec, a cyclist or a pedestrian, the indemnities to which you may be entitled are inversely proportional to your degree of responsibility for the traffic accident.
This means that the greater your share of the responsibility, the lower the indemnities to which you could be entitled.
For example, if your share of responsibility is 50%, you will be entitled to 50% of the indemnities provided under the plan. If your share of responsibility is 10%, you will be entitled to 90% of the indemnities.
If, however, the country or Canadian province in which you reside has entered into an agreement with Québec, this agreement will prevail.
Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.
The SAAQ may exercise a recourse against you to claim the reimbursement of indemnities paid to that person, based on the degree of your responsibility for the accident.
Last update: June 4, 2022
