Israel reports 439 traffic fatalities in 2024

Tel Aviv, Jan 26 Israel recorded 439 traffic fatalities in 2024, a 21.6 per cent rise compared to the 361 deaths registered in 2023, according to a statement issued by the Israel Bureau of Statistics on Sunday.

The bureau noted that the number of fatalities last year was the highest since 2006, when 439 people were killed in traffic accidents in Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of fatal accidents in the country rose by 19.8 per cent year-on-year, from 338 in 2023 to 405 in 2024.

The main causes of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities or serious injuries in 2024 were failure to yield to pedestrians, ignoring traffic lights, lane crossing, and excessive speed, Israel's National Road Safety Authority revealed in a press release in early January.

Israel recorded 351 road deaths in 2022, 1.7 per cent above the pre-Covid-19 period. The traffic volumes resumed at the 2019 level. The most significant increase was recorded among the powered two wheeler users, mainly due to their use as a means of transport.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mobility and road crashes, the data for 2020 and 2021 represent a poor reference point for benchmarking.

Israel recorded 351 road deaths in 2022, an increase of 1.7 per cent compared with the average for 2017-19. The traffic volumes in 2022 resumed to the level of 2019.

In 2024, Israeli former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was injured in the central city of Ramle Friday when his official car flipped over in an accident.

Ben-Gvir's daughter, one of his bodyguards and the driver of the other vehicle were all lightly injured.

Source: IANS