There were 20% fewer drunk drivers on Israel's roads in 2014 compared with recent years, but drunk driving is still a significant problem, the Or Yarok road safety organization said Wednesday. According to Israeli police, there were 8,378 citations written to drivers for driving while over the alcohol limit, 20% fewer than the 10,235 written in 2009.
However, the problem is still significant, Or Yarok said. According to a poll it conducted, nearly one out of five – 17% - of drivers admitted to taking to the road at least once after they had drunk significant amounts of alcohol. Nearly half – 44% - said they would have no hesitation driving after drinking, because they did not believe they would be caught by police.
In 2008, 31 people died in accidents involving a drunk driver. That number fell in 2009 to 19. There was also a fall of 30% in the number of injured in such accidents between 2008 and 2009 – 901 vs. 663. The organization did not have more up-to-date numbers.
According to Or Yarok chairman Shmuel Aboav, “the government and authorities must be more aware and enforce the law more aggressively. It is clear that educational efforts are not sufficient to stop the problem. We need to allocate more resources to police and to enable them to remove more drunk drivers from the road.”