After conducting a half year study in conjunction with DECELL, Israel road safety NGO Ohr Yarok reports that most Israeli drivers ignore speed limits. The study was conducted by using GPS technology to track vehicles. The study included 487 routes and over 30 million speed readings of vehicles on the nation’s roadways.
The report adds that on some roadways, the percentage of drivers that speed is much higher, as is the case on Highway 20, the Ayalon southbound from Holot Interchange to Mevo Interchange. The speed limit there is 70 KPH (42 MPH) and 97% of motorists exceed the speed limit. Another chronic speeding area is on Highway 1, the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway between Lod Interchange and Ben-Gurion Interchange. The speed limit is 90 KPH (54 MPH) and 70% of drivers exceed the speed limit.
Ohr Yarok Director Shmuel Abuav is calling on the national government to install many more speed detection cameras to slow drivers down. He feels that deterrence, fear of being ticketed will do the trick and without the cameras drivers are not going to slow down.
Ohr Yarok explains that unfortunately there is a myth in Israel that driving at higher speeds does not increase the hazard.
Ohr Yarok officials add that at present, there are 22 speed detection cameras in use nationwide and police hope to bring that number to 60 by the end of 2012. The 60 new cameras will include 40 that monitor speed and 20 monitoring traffic signal compliance.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
The speeds are ridiculously low. 70 km/h on a highway??? No way people are breaking the speed limit.
On the other side, Israeli highways are so outdated and dangerous, and Israelis are so careless, that 70 km/h is a lot.
There is no other country where people stop on the highway shoulder just for apparently no reason at all, or to daven mincha, switch drivers, have a ‘natural needs’ break – etc. I’ve seen them all. In any European country, if you stop on a highway shoulder for anything other than a serious breakdown, you’ll get a pretty expensive ticket.
Then there are the crazy slip roads such as Highway 4 at Bnei Brak (Coca Cola). Entering the highway from Bnei Brak is like a suicide mission there, with the buses and the gas station. How that area can still exist the way it does is mind-boggling. The gas station (and adjoining restaurants) should be closed and moved since they are immediately after the junction, and having the highway entrance slip road double as a hugely busy bus stop sounds like something from a bad movie.
I have a strange feeling that this isn’t exclusively in Israel…
I could have done that study myself! Its not so hard to figure it out!
What a waste of time and money.
Firstly, its obvious.
Secondly, everyone exceeds the speed limit. What percentage of drivers in a 55MPH limit dont exceed it?
This is news?
israelis! where r u rushing to?!!
its come to a point tht foriegners dont wnt to drive in israel! calm down!
speeding will not get u anywhere quicker but only one place thts u know where!
think about it!
also most Americans do….. why in the world is this news???
If the speed limit is unreasonable low this will hAppen. In different countries they have taken down the speed limit; see what the normal aveage driver does and than post that as a speed limit. It is sensible since going faster or slower causes problem and it is better to be normal. Low speed limits are usually just MONEY MAKERS and I am not talking about Money Maker cigars either
Oh, this really is news, i wasnt aware there were speed limits in Israel.
i was always under the impression, any road signs are only recommendations, but everyone is open to their own judgement.
i travel the 443 at 06.30 every morning and the average speed is around 125 kph. (and no!! please dont ask me how i KNOW that!!!!)
in Bnei Brak, traffic signals work as follows.
green – hit the gas
orange – hit the gas harder
red -first two seconds after turning red – still considered green
red – after two seconds – can steal the red if you didnt see any cops
red – after five seconds – stop.
you may think i just wrote a joke but stand in bnei brak at any junction and you will be shocked to see that this is the absolute truth.
same goes for “no entry” signs – in BB (Israel) it just means “look around and make sure there are no cops before entering this street”
how about crosswalks?? again, same city, it is shocking how many people pass on a crosswalk even when one car has stopped to let kids cross. it is like russian roulette, cross and make sure no one hits you.
all other road signs are hung up purely as a recommendation based on some “ole meanie”‘s recommendation, obviously anyone under the age of 25 can use better judgement as to how to drive.
in my defense, before i get attacked, i must say, i always stop at red – one second before and ALWAYS at a crosswalk.
yes!! ISRAEL is truly a special place – and i mean that in more ways than one.