Crawling towards the Seder: Israel's roads fill up
As the eve of Passover approaches, Israelis drive to Seders around the country -- and the traffic division has plenty of instructions.
As the eve of Passover approached on Friday, Israel's roads began to be filled with vehicles making their way to Seders around the nation.
Hundreds of police officers and volunteers from the traffic division were placed around Israel in preparation for the holiday. They oversee traffic on major routes based on past years' statistics.
The officers and volunteers were instructed to focus on providing public services, directing traffic, and enforce laws against potentially life-threatening offenses that could cause accidents. The traffic division warned the public to expect heavy traffic and recommended that they leave as early as possible.
The traffic division instructed drivers who encountered mechanical problems to call the police and wait behind the guard rail until a police car arrives. Parents were told to make sure their children were safely seated in the vehicle and avoid all distractions while driving – especially texting.
Those facing a long drive with children were told they should prepare some kind of occupation for them in order to prevent them from distracting the driver. Drivers were instructed not to drink alcohol before driving, and to occasionally stop and rest during nighttime or very long drives. They were asked to pay particular attention to cyclists and be careful about pedestrians, particularly children.
Meanwhile, starting today and throughout Passover, the MDA has raised its preparedness, and will have significantly more staff in the coming days.
The MDA has readied hundreds of ambulances, mobile intensive care units, motorcycles and helicopters to quickly provide medical assistance.
Ahieh Raved contributed to this report.
