Former French president, Jacques Chirac, dies

The news that former French president, Jacques Chirac, has died aged 86 should be of note for those in the road safety sector. His political legacy is well known. Chirac was prime minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and again from 1986 to 1988, mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995 and finally president from 1995 to 2007. But his political reputation ended under a cloud following his suspended sentence on corruption charges. Perhaps less well widely known however is that Chirac had a tremendously beneficial e
September 26, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
The news that former French president, Jacques Chirac, has died aged 86 should be of note for those in the road safety sector.


His political legacy is well known. Chirac was prime minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and again from 1986 to 1988, mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995 and finally president from 1995 to 2007. But his political reputation ended under a cloud following his suspended sentence on corruption charges.

Perhaps less well widely known however is that Chirac had a tremendously beneficial effect on road safety in France. Chirac was injured in a road crash in 1978 and that inspired him to institute a tough line on enforcement of laws against drinking and driving and speeding in particular. French laws had previously been lax on these, with the result that the country’s annual road casualty rate was shockingly high. Chirac’s tough line on road safety started in 2002, resulting in the French police cracking down hard on drinking and driving and speeding. The result was that France’s annual road casualty rate fell dramatically and has remained much lower ever since.

It is worth noting that that there are many French people today living healthy lives, who perhaps would not have been but for Chirac’s actions. No other European politician has ever saved so many people from death or injury on the roads. Perhaps this was not the legacy Chirac set out to achieve when he entered politics, but it is one that deserves much credit.

Related Content

  • Nigeria road crashes – cause for concern
    February 27, 2018
    Nigeria’s dangerous roads remain a cause for concern. In the three month period to December 2017, there were 2,489 reported road crashes in Nigeria. These crashes accounted for 1,306 deaths and 7,349 injuries, according to data collated by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Of those killed, 106 were children and 1,200 were adults. Excessive speed was cited as a primary cause of 45.1% of the crashes. Other major factors in crashes were loss of control and dangerous driving. No estimates for the
    Read More
  • Vietnam’s steady improvements in road safety
    December 22, 2023
    Vietnam stands out for its steady improvements in road safety.
    Read More
  • IRF Geneva takes centre stage at Movin’ On event in Canada
    September 27, 2017
    The Challenge Bibendum organised by Michelin for the past 20 years had now become “Movin’On”. Organised in Canada on 13th-15the June 2017, in this new avatar and focus, the event had attracted 4,000 participants from the transportation industry from 31 countries around the world. IRF Geneva was represented by its executive director, Susanna Zammataro.
    Read More
  • Angola’s high crash rate costing lives but is reducing
    November 1, 2016
    Angola’s high rate of road crashes is costing lives. Official data reveals that 2,189 people were killed in road crashes over the first nine months of 2016. Meanwhile 8,518 were injured in 8,452 road crashes in this period. However there is some overall improvement in road safety in Angola as the fatality rate for this time period is 827 lower than first nine months of 2015. In addition, the number of crashes dropped by 3,453 while the number of injuries fell by 3,443, showing that the country’s road safety
    Read More

Highlighted Content