The Montérégie is generally a low-crime area. Almost the whole area is served by the emergency number "911", which you can call to contact police, fire or ambulance services. The biggest danger is probably traffic accidents, especially in winter. There are long stretches of unlit and potentially icy roads; large farming fields on either side of a road can mean blowing snow and slippery patches. Many of the smaller routes with one lane in either direction have a speed limit of 90km/h. Snow tires are required by law on vehicles during the winter months.
Some seedy bars in the Montérégie are labelled "danseuses". This is a euphamism for a strip club, many of which are actually brothels; steer clear if you want to avoid criminal elements.
Akwesasne Mohawk Reserve, in the southwest corner of the Montérégie, shares a border with reserves in Ontario and New York. There are rare occurrences of confrontations with police in this area; police try to patrol for cross-border cigarette and alcohol smuggling and locals insist Quebec police have no authority on the reserve. This should not usually affect tourists, but is something to be alert to.
talk
The majority of the people living in the Montérégie speak French. There are significant English-speaking populations in some towns. Most people can speak English to some degree; a lost tourist will almost always be able to get directions in English, although not always from the first person they ask. Traffic signs are in French, but are designed with pictures and symbols so that people who speak only English can easily figure them out.
Kahnawake and Akwesasne Reserves have made efforts to increase the use of the Mohawk language, offering language classes and using it on community radio and in some public events. Most people on the reserves speak English, and French to a lesser extent.
Some people may speak a third language, especially near Montreal, but outside native reserves it is uncommon to hear them spoken on the street. A working knowledge of French or English will be almost essential to communicate with locals.