Triumph After Tragedy

Thousands of people across France owe their lives to Geneviève Jurgensen — though few are likely ever to realize it. Since co-founding France's League Against Road Violence in 1983, Jurgensen's efforts to change French driving habits and laws have helped cut accident fatalities by well over half.

Rampant disregard of speed limits, glib attitudes toward drinking and driving, and a macho pride taken in rudeness behind the wheel had made the country's roads among the deadliest in Europe. Tighter enforcement of laws against these practices and more severe punishments have helped slash road deaths from nearly 12,000 the...