The Knesset Subcommittee for Road Safety met Tuesday to discuss budget cuts facing the National Road Safety Authority (N.R.S.A.). The Finance Ministry has decided to cut 55.7 million dollars from the N.R.S.A.'s budget and another $27.8 million from the Transportation Ministry's development budget. The cut was made despite an earlier commitment to increase funding for traffic safety in 2009.
MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) opened the meeting by accusing the Finance Ministry of apathy. “Finance Minister Roni Bar-On is completely indifferent to the deaths on our roads,” he said. Erdan is convinced the budget cut will put an end to effective programs and lead to more traffic deaths.
Erdan accused acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of lying, saying that Olmert had promised the Or Yarok (Green Light) traffic safety group that traffic safety initiatives would not face budget cuts. “It's a shame that the state of Israel does not take this matter seriously, which could prevent hundreds of fatalities,” he said.
Others at the meeting echoed Erdan's frustration. N.R.S.A. Chairman Ya'ir Dori said the cuts would lead to more dangerous roads and an increase in the number of traffic fatalities. A representative from Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance services said the cuts would force some MDA stations to shut down, decreasing the chances of survival for seriously wounded crash victims.
Shmuel Abuav, Executive Director of Or Yarok, agreed that the budget cuts would lead to traffic deaths. “I have harsh criticism for the government of Israel... this isn't just another project, we're talking about saving people's lives,” he said.
Traffic Minister Shaul Mofaz did not attend the meeting.
Finance Ministry officials say the N.R.S.A. did not use its entire budget prior to the funding cuts, a charge N.R.S.A. officials deny. In addition, Finance Ministry officials say the number of traffic fatalities has risen despite the creation of the N.R.S.A., which they say proves the agency is “redundant.”