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

  • Future road safety progress may be slow
    March 9, 2018
    Future progress on road safety could be slower than hoped, according to the European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC). It warns that the high profile development of autonomous vehicles could restrain moves to improve road safety around the world. With road deaths killing up to 1.25 million people/year, lowering the casualty rate is seen as a priority. But a much sharper awareness of how to reduce the number of deaths and injuries is required.
    Read More
  • Research reveals rash driving road risk for young drivers
    May 15, 2015
    Research by the RAC Foundation reveals the high risk posed by young drivers on the UK’s roads. Meanwhile the UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is calling for stronger measures on drivers aged 70 or more. Young drivers aged 17-19 only account for 1.5% of the UK’s driving population but feature in 12% of crashes involving serious injuries and fatalities. Around 20% of young drivers aged 17-19 will have a crash in the first six months after passing their test according to the study. The analysis carr
    Read More
  • Brazil’s high road death rate
    June 7, 2021
    Brazil’s road death rate remains worryingly high.
    Read More
  • Dutch road deaths plummet
    August 24, 2012
    Dutch road deaths have nearly halved in the last 15 years, according to new figures by the country’s central statistics bureau CBS. There were 661 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2011, down 47% from 1,251 in 1996. For passenger cars over the same period there was a 73.5% decrease in road fatalities, from 609 to 221.
    Read More

Highlighted Content