Captured on video recklessly driving with children in the car
During a ride in Jerusalem, a soldier captured footage of another vehicle cutting across lanes, losing control and almost causing a fatal accident; he went to offer assistance and found a smiling driver, with his wife and three small children.
"The event took place on Friday, April 7," said A., whose name may not be revealed due to his active military service. "I got off the Pisgat Ze'ev bridge toward the exit from the city and saw the Hyundai Accent, which was in the leftmost lane, cutting across four lanes, and from the speed, it spun out. It was sheer luck that nothing happened."
A. went to help, but he was surprised to find contempt and indifference. When he reached the car, he saw the driver, calm and smiling, sitting with his wife and three small children. When A. commented about his reckless driving, the motorist replied, "I have an angel guarding me."
"He was very indifferent to what I told him," said A., who decided to file a complaint against the driver to put him on trial for driving recklessly.
The same day, A. went to the police station with the footage, but the station was swamped, and so he gave up. A. forwarded the footage to the Israel Police's Facebook page, but there they replied that sending the material is not a substitute for filing a complaint. Nevertheless, the police said on Sunday that the footage received by Ynet was transferred to the traffic department for inspection and that if necessary, the driver would be brought in for questioning and the footage would serve as evidence.
The solider also forwarded the video to the Or Yarok Association for Safer Driving in Israel, along with a request for assistance in bringing the driver to trial and increasing cautious driving.
Erez Kita, the organization's CEO as of March, said, "Fortunately, there was no serious accident here. Each of us stands witness to the rampage on the roads every day, and this is a direct result of the budget cuts in road safety. The Israeli government disparages our lives when there are fewer police officers and fewer cruisers on the streets and drivers aren't afraid to run wild and endanger the lives of all of us.
"The State of Israel has been witnessing a steady increase in the number of people killed by traffic accidents over the past five years and must immediately add 300 cruisers and 300 police officers to increase visibility and police presence on the roads. Car accidents aren't fate. It is high time for the state to take responsibility and work to reduce traffic accidents more fully."
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
