Man and woman killed in collision with truck on Route 60 near Arava Junction

A man and woman aged around 60 were killed when their car collided with a truck on Route 90 near the Arava Junction, medics say.

Route 90, Israel’s longest highway, runs along the eastern boundary from Metula in the north to Eilat in the south.

Most of the road is decades old and consists of only one lane in each direction, with no divider. Its length and characteristics have made it one of the country’s deadliest routes.

A number of fatal crashes in recent years have sparked calls for significant safety upgrades on the road, which also traverses the West Bank.

Last year, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman issued a report on road safety that found funds have not been transferred for road maintenance amid other deficiencies in improving highways.

The report highlighted the situation on Route 90 among other notorious roads, and pointed to a state comptroller report from 2021 that discussed the dangers on the highway, in particular the section between Arava Junction and Eilat.

The 2021 report noted that the road leaves no room for error on the part of drivers and that any diversion from a lane can cause a deadly collision.