40% of Israelis Break the Law While Driving
Israel’s roads are scary places. Okay, the old joke is an exaggeration – drivers in this hot country don’t stick to the left-side or right-side, but drive in the shade – but even the US State Department comments on Israel’s aggressive driving tactics on their Israel page: “Aggressive driving is a serious problem…Drivers are also prone to stop suddenly on roads without warning, especially in the right lane.”
A new survey, commissioned by Or Yarok Association for Safer Drivers, found that 40% of drivers in Israel engage in illegal acts that distract their attention while driving, with 15% of Israeli drivers texting (illegally) while driving.
These figures come five months after the Transportation Ministry suddenly dropped plans, which were passed by Knesset six years ago, to get drivers to take a once-a-decade safe driving “refresher” course.
It claimed that the plan was proving too expensive.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
