2016 declared most fatal year on Israel’s roads in 5 years
A total of 371 people have been killed in the past year on Israel’s roads, compared to 356 traffic fatalities in 2015; Road Safety Authority figures point to an alarming increase in the number of deaths among young drivers, as well as a sharp rise in road casualties in the Arab sector.
The year 2016 has been declared the most fatal year on Israel’s roads in the past five years, with deaths caused from road accidents becoming increasingly commonplace, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
As recently as Monday, a 26-year-old man was killed in a road accident in the Lower Galilee, bringing the number of traffic fatalities since the beginning of the year to 371, the RSA figures show. The death toll is up from last year, which totaled at 356.
This is also the fifth year in a row marking a rise in the number of traffic fatalities. Last week, four people were killed in a road accident in Samaria (West Bank) involving an Israeli vehicle. Moreover, people who were injured in accidents which tok place prior to it eventually succumbed to their wounds.
An examination of the RSA figures points to an alarming increase in the number of young drivers killed in road accidents in the past year—41 compared to 35 last year. Another concern is the sharp rise recorded in the Arab sector—120 traffic fatalities in the past year compared to 99 in 2015.
The figures further illustrate an increase in traffic fatalities both on municipal roads, where the speed is usually limited to 50 kilometers per hour, and on freeways.
A total of 127 people were killed on municipal roads last year, while this year the number has already reached 132. On freeways, the number of fatalities in 2016 is up by 19 compared to the previous year, bringing it to a total of 238.
Among pedestrians, 101 were killed this year compared to 107 in 2015—42 of them over the age of 65.
Despite the generally gloomy figures, some solace could be taken from the fact that despite the increased use of electric bicycles, the past 365 days have recorded a drop in the number of cyclist killed on Israel roads—10 deaths this year compared to 15 last year.
Furthermore, 2015 was particularly fatal for motorcyclists, with 56 deaths as opposed to 43 this year.
An analysis of the figures by timing reveals a different picture each month concerning road accidents. January 2016, for example was a less fatal month than it was in 2015, with 26 deaths compared to 31.
February recorded an increase from the same month the previous year, with 34 fatalities compared to 31. March was the month containing the least number of fatalities since 2013 with 21 traffic-related deaths. But with the arrival of April, the optimism was short-lived as it became the deadliest month in the past three years, tallying 33 fatalities.
May recorded a drop again (29 compared to 41 in 2015), but the summer months of June and July once again dashed any optimism that may have resurfaced. Indeed, thirty-nine people were killed on Israel’s roads in June and 37 were killed in July (compared to 27 in both those months in 2015).
August was hardly any better, claiming 34 lives—only towo fewer than in August in 2015. The number remained high in September with 37 traffic-related deaths, compared to 23 in 2015.
October recorded 31 traffic fatalities, compared to 36 last year, while November saw a significant drop from 26 deaths last year to 17 this year.
In the past month alone, thirty-two people were killed in road accidents, compared to 29 fatalities in December 2015.
