President Jacques Chirac has vowed to make driving in France safer by cracking down on drunk drivers, speeders and other reckless drivers who have caused the deaths of more people in France than in any other European Union country. More than eight thousand people died on French roads last year and accidents are the leading cause of death for the age group 12 to 30. Chirac has challenged his ministers to submit a law to parliament by next year, and polls show that the majority of the French support such a crackdown. Bad as the French record looks, it is still better than the U.S., where 15.2 people are killed per 100,000 population as opposed to France’s 13.6. Portugal remains the EU’s most deadly place to drive with 21 deaths per 100,000 people.
