MK Uri Maklev feels tens of thousands of chareidi children are not given road safety instruction as their public school counterparts are. Maklev made his comments during a discussion addressing road safety in the chareidi sector.

The Knesset Economics Committee is holding a session to discuss road safety and traffic accidents in the chareidi sector road on Wednesday, 6 Adar-II. Maklev, a member of this committee, questions why the chareidi children are not included in programs aimed at teaching the young road safety. He adds the sharp increase in traffic accidents in the chareidi sector is most troublesome and worrisome and this demands the attention of road safety officials.

Maklev told committee members during a session on Tuesday that the number of chareidi children injured in vehicular accidents is 2.5 times higher than the national average and this screams for attention. He laments that the budget for road safety instruction in chareidi schools has been cut and as a result, 70,000 chareidi children are left out of such programs.

Maklev quoted reports that many accidents are the result of poor infrastructure and the proximity of pedestrians to vehicles, especially at bus stops and schools. He added statistics show a high involvement of vehicles transporting students to and from chareidi schools in accidents and this too needs to be addressed. There are more buses in the chareidi sector involved in accidents too, and Maklev wants this addressed as well. Simply stated, there are more struck pedestrians and vehicular accidents in the chareidi sector at large.

Maklev explains the chareidi tzibur relies on public buses more than many other communities and there is congestion in the streets of Jerusalem and Bnei Brak for example, and this too contributed to the number of accidents.

Maklev feels the various agencies must face the facts and begin addressing the problem. He calls on local and national agencies not to exclude the chareidim when it comes to road safety instruction.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)