Psychological support program for road traffic supervisors

“Wearing a uniform does not protect anyone from psychological stress, on the contrary, which is why I find it so important to provide health services adapted to their specific needs. »

The speaker is Francois Bonnardel, former Minister of Transport and current Minister of Public Security. That was a few days ago, when he announced $750,000 in funding to ensure the maintenance of clinical services at the hospital. PSP Net Intended for those working in the field of public security, which includes police officers Quebec roadside inspection Falling under SAC.

Minister Bonnardel added: “We are committed to caring for those who work every day to protect us, often in difficult and unpredictable circumstances.”

And stress is part of the daily life of road traffic controllers, notes Lieutenant Jonathan Beauvais, spokesman for Quebec road traffic control, in an interview with Trucking.

The dealerships already had a fairly comprehensive assistance program for SAAQ staff, but according to Mr. Beauvais, PSPNET represents an additional tool for people who feel uncomfortable with their mental health or have mental health issues to manage their emotions.

“The more services we have, the better,” he sums up.

Men in uniform have a certain reputation for masculinity. Would they hesitate to ask for help if they felt upset?

I think it has changed with generations. I think the services provided have also changed over the generations. People will talk to people who understand, who know their reality. “I think it helps to be able to express yourself and open up,” says a spokesman for the road marshals.

Important scenes

The worst sources of stress, if not trauma, would be scenes of fatal accidents involving a heavy transport vehicle and vulnerable road users such as cyclists or pedestrians.

In such a situation, police forces often use the services of road inspectors and their experience with heavy vehicles, to check the condition of the truck's brakes at the scene of the accident to see if we can rule out an accident or not. The hypothesis of a mechanical defect of this type.

We must act quickly to open the road and allow traffic to resume, especially in urban areas.

“Once we get under the truck, we sometimes see scenes that can leave scars on our souls,” Mr. Beauvais says of the bodies of victims still trapped under the wheels of the car.

“It can cause some stress. We keep thinking about it afterward. Sometimes we will think about it during the night, and we will dream about it for days. Calling a service like this to be able to ventilate, or ‘spot the bad guy,’” he adds. To be able to share that with people who know the world of peace officers, that kind of intervention, it's definitely helpful,” said the road monitor.

He also has an idea about truck drivers involved in this type of accident who may also suffer from post-traumatic stress and find it difficult to return to work afterwards.

“There is not a truck driver I know who has ever encountered who woke up one morning and said to himself: ‘Hey, today I'm going to have a crash.’ They are professionals on the roads. “They are human beings and they are not insensitive to that,” Mr. Beauvais attests.

Truck drivers are more relaxed with DCEs

One might think that the proliferation of electronic logging devices (ELD) would have made truck drivers more aggressive toward road traffic controllers who intercept them, because the clock is still ticking and they feel the pressure of precious service minutes flying away.

It seems to be quite the opposite.

” a lot [de camionneurs] They told us they really like electronic recording devices. As long as the transportation is well planned, people like it because, precisely, they can no longer be put under pressure from a dispatcher or carrier who wants the driver to make another trip. Today some who have resisted change say: “I'll never go back, I like it,” Mr. Beauvais says.

An email should be sent to all route monitors informing them of the availability of PSPNET.