An Ashkelon court heard a petition from Sderot resident Yariv Emoiyal on Monday asking to cancel mandatory seat belt laws within the city of Sderot.  Emoiyal argued that Sderot residents are targeted by terrorist rockets and often have only 15 seconds to run for shelter before rockets hit.  Drivers are often unable to remove their seatbelts within that period of time due to stress, he said, making the seatbelts dangerous.

The case began when Emoiyal refused to pay a NIS 100 fine after he and his son did not wear seatbelts while driving in Sderot.  Justice Dalia Kleiman did not issue a final verdict, and said she plans to check with the Homefront Command and with legal experts before ruling in the case.