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

  • New president, new plan
    July 19, 2012
    Special ECED meeting approves Action Plan to create stronger EU representation for distributors Members of the European Confederation of Equipment Distributors (ECED) have endorsed an Action Plan aimed at strengthening the distributors' association at EU level. This was agreed at an Extraordinary General Assembly in Brussels, Belgium, convened by newly-elected ECED President, Dr. José Gameiro, in his role as board member of ACAP (the Portuguese Cars and Machinery Association). The meeting asked the ECED
    Read More
  • European police cracking down on drink driving
    August 19, 2014
    Police in Europe have been cracking down on drink driving with a major joint operation in 30 countries. Close to 1.2 million breath tests were carried out as part of this recent European operation. Police forces achieved 1,168,631 roadside breath tests for alcohol, of which 18,391 were positive. Motorists were also checked for drugs in the operation, and 2,976 offences were detected. President of pan-European police body TISPOL Koen Ricour said, “It is disappointing that so many people still think the law
    Read More
  • Japan’s road safety continues to improve
    January 7, 2015
    The latest official data from Japan’s National Police Agency reveals a continued drop in traffic fatalities for 2014. The fatality rate fell to 4,113 in 2014, a drop of 260 from the previous year. This improvement in road safety has been helped by a successful campaign to increase awareness over the use of seatbelts and also on the inherent risks of drink-driving, according to the authorities. Of the fatalities, 227 cases were as a result of drink-driving. A total of 2,193 people aged above 65 years old die
    Read More
  • Pay attention to The Ray, urges WheelRight’s John Catling
    July 17, 2017
    Development of the connected and sustainable highways is moving quickly in the US and the Far East but progress in Europe is much less impressive. One example of a connected highway that offers an interesting model for European transport planners and policymakers is The Ray, a 29km stretch of Interstate 85 in the state of Georgia. Originally established by a charitable foundation, The Ray offers an inspiring vision of a sustainable highway, even for the near future. Drivers crossing the state line from Ala
    Read More

Highlighted Content