Washington – Aggressive driving is a serious problem in Israel, and many Israeli drivers do not obey traffic laws – they don’t keep a safe driving distance and don’t signal before changing lanes or turning.
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This is what the US State Department thinks about Israelis and Israeli drivers according to its updated guide on the State of Israel for the American tourist visiting the country.
The State Department continued: The Israeli driver tends to make sudden stops in the middle of the street without any forewarning, particularly in the right-hand lane. Drivers must exercise significant caution on Israel’s roads, especially in light of the high number of traffic accidents that result in injury and the very congested streets, specifically in urban areas.
The State Department also warns US citizens about crime levels in Israel. According to the department, there has been an increase in the number of car break-ins in Israel, a phenomenon most prevalent along the beach, the Dead Sea, and in national parks, particularly Caesarea National Park. US citizens are advised not to leave important documents or expensive belongings in their cars.
According to the US tourist information, there has also been a rise in pickpocketing against tourists in Israel in cities and cemeteries throughout the country.
The US State Department also cautions its citizens about the extensive security checks many travelers have to undergo in order to enter and exit the country, and warned that travelers’ computers, cameras, or other electronic devices may be confiscated by Israeli authorities. The State Department notes that while equipment is most often returned to its owners, it may be damaged, destroyed, or lost.
they do keep the rules, why is the gov so against isreal, we have the same problem lets focus on us first then go to isreals driving problem
I’ll second that, there is no excuse for the high numbers of accidents, and yes, driver be cautious when on Israeli roads
The state department is right.
D-W-I. Driving While—Israeli? Yeah, I think that’s what it stands for.
After having lived in israel for over 10 years the only thing I still fear when I return for visits are the taxi drivers who are not only agresive but work long hours with no break. Countless times they have fallen asleep on long journeys and by some mitacle only do you get from a to b safely
thiers nothing like those huge double egged buses zooming down the narrow rechov meah shearim and pinnig you to the stone wall i miss it
It’s because ther is no fear of cops in Israel you can just tell them to get lost…
They may as well add NYC to the list!
Tell them to check out B Park, Monsey, Lkwd…… lets face it this is one of our weakness’s.
We had a car stolen from our hotel in Yerushalyim. It had the immobilizer. Could not believe it. And yes, our brethren are fairly aggressive drivers :-(.
Does the state dept always write just harsh opinions against such democratic allies like Israel.
Tourisim is a major part of Israels economy, was this report of theirs really neccessary.
Most all of what they wrote can be applied to us here in the US.
Our drivers are just as reckless in many parts of the country, just take NY taxis, they’ll stop ANYWHERE on a seconds notice for a fare.
We have crime all over this country and that includes pickpockets, scams, car thefts and related crimes, assaults, murders and so on.
Maybe the state dept should do a house cleaning of its own before it decides to judge its allies and potential hurt its economy for no reason. Israel is a lot better than the USA.
The irony is that US drivers are every bit as bad, except that they may drive slower. Cars crossing over from the middle lane through the right lane to an exit are not uncommon in NYC, and they don’t necessarily use indicators, either. People hanging around in the middle and left lanes when the right lane is open is another machla.
Germany, which has no speed limits on most of its motorway system, has one of the lowest accident rates despite numerous drivers doing 100mph and even 120mph on the highway, because they drive like yeckes, sticking to the right lane, religiously using indicators and only driving fast on motorways, while abiding by speed limits in cities, where most of the accidents worldwide tend to occur.
In the US, it is the opposite, people speed at 50mph down Ocean Parkway, 45mph is not uncommon, despite the 30mph limit, but on the NYS Thruway, chas veshulem that one drive more than 10mph above the limit, or a cop will ticket you, because it is easier to catch speeders on an orderly highway than on busy streets. Quotas and revenue above safety, sadly.
The State Department should issue a warning against US metropolitan areas, NYC and LA particularly.
I’m sure the state department has similar things to say or worse about countries such as India and the like.
Sounds like the State Dept wants to deter people from visiting Israel.
I just wonder why it took the State department so many years to notice.
I’ve been to israel 5 times by now I always drive myself ,and I think I’m the fastest driver there, they are by far at least as civiized as us american drivers, and maybe even more so they definitely don’t honk as much as much as we do
They should warn about the daily missile attacks from their president Jimmy Carter, and then ask for ‘Al Cheit’.
Israelis drive like Middle Eastern
most of those cars broken into or stolen are by arabs.
Sorry but State Departement is right, my husbands will drive heree in the UK but his one experience of driving in Israel put him off for life!! It was scary to say the least. And it is not just computers that get confiscated, your jewelry is likely to vanish during searches too!!
Israel unfortunately loses many more people to traffic accidents than to war and terrorism. Yet, the government does not seem to effectively address this issue. Anyone who has spent time in Israel has seen the stupid driving that goes on there. It is a real shame.
Eretz Yisrael is a wonderful place to visit. The driving there is not too wonderful.
Pickpocketing is through the roof. It’s a good idea to say tehillim if your’e a passenger in a car. Don’t bring anything expensive to Isreal.
Other than that, you can cover more sites in Isreal than anywhere else, because everything is so concentrated. Can’t wait to go back.
All your comparisons to taxis stopping on a dime in NYC, and the like, misses the point and makes for a less-than-valid comparison.
NYC (Manhattan, in particular) is no picnic to drive in. But if Israel, as a whole, is representative of that driving behavior (in ANY location, not just busy downtowns), that is, indeed, of far greater concern than taxi drivers in NYC.
Like rabbi orlofsky says “why should a person pay money to go on a roller coster , just take a cab ride in jerusalem”
Yidden need to learn to have road manners, many of them do not. In every country.
what’s next ‘Al Het’ from the State Dept.
Driving: The State Dept warnings aren’t much different from the stories that periodically appear in the Jerusalem Post.
Security checks: If the US had a similar level of security checking, we might not have had to deal with the airliner problems of the past week.