East Jerusalem bus
East Jerusalem busFlash 90

A fifteen-year-old boy and a mother, both without driving licenses, were caught on Sunday driving children to and from school.

Israel Police caught the 15-year-old Arab youth driving a school bus in northern Jerusalem. During the interrogation, the boy said he was driving because "his father allowed him to." The father was then questioned, and both father and son were released under conditions not specified.

Authorities will submit indictments against both father and son. The bus may not be used for a period of 30 days.

During the same raid, police caught four other Arabs driving with invalid licenses. One of them, a 27-year-old Jerusalem resident living in one of the city's eastern neighborhoods, was a repeat offender caught for the fourth time. His offenses included driving with an invalid license and driving under the influence of drugs.

This suspect was arrested, and his friend attempted to pass him drugs during the court session. Israeli policemen noticed the movement and arrested his friend.

In a separate incident, a Jewish mother in the central town of Bnei Ayish was caught driving her children to and from school and preschool - despite the fact she had never had a license in her life.

"What made you remember, after 25 years?" she asked the policemen.

Police issued the mother a summons to court and released her.

Her car may not be used for a period of thirty days.

"This is a driver who seriously endangered herself, her passengers, and everyone else on the roads," an Israel Police spokesman said.

Efforts to stop unlicensed drivers and drivers who are under the influence of drugs and alcohol save the lives of both the drivers and of those innocent civilians sharing the roads with them, a police spokesman said.

"The road accident last week, in which a 9-year-old girl lost her life when a bus rammed into her, shows us clearly that anyone who drives needs to be a responsible person who drives legally and carefully," Israel Police said.