Israel’s crosswalks prove dangerous to pedestrians, especially elderly and kids

Israeli drivers have killed 43 people on foot since start of 2019, with 80% of those hit on marked crossings, and over half of fatalities children or seniors

By ToI Staff 19 June 2019, 5:25 am

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School children standing in front of a crosswalk after leaving school in Beit El, May 1, 2019. (Gili Yaari /Flash90)

Israeli drivers are increasingly hazardous to pedestrians on crosswalks, especially the elderly and children.

Since the start of 2019, drivers have killed 43 pedestrians on Israel’s roads. In the same period last year, vehicles killed 39 people on foot.

Of this year’s fatalities, 14 were elderly people and nine were children, representing more than half of those killed, according to a Tuesday report from Channel 12 news.

Eighty percent of those injured this year were hit while on marked street crossings. Observers at 275 crosswalks across the country found that 25% of vehicles did not stop for pedestrians waiting to cross.

“We need to fix the infrastructure, to elevate the crosswalk, illuminate them, install speed bumps, to curb the speed of the vehicles. That way, when someone gets hit, hopefully it won’t be a deadly accident,” said Erez Kita, head of the Or Yarok organization, which advocates for better road safety in Israel.