Sixty-five young drivers aged 16-24, driving private vehicles and motorcycles, were killed in road accidents in 2025 - three fewer than in 2024, according to data from the Or Yarok association, based on figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Despite the slight decrease compared to the previous year, 2025 ranks as the second deadliest year of the past decade for young drivers.
A total of 1,563 young drivers were injured in road accidents in 2025 - an average of about five each day. Of those, 338 were seriously injured, nearly one per day on average. Over the past decade, the trend in fatalities has been on the rise. In 2025, there was a 67% increase in the number of young drivers killed compared to 2016.
Adv. Yaniv Yaakov, CEO of Or Yarok, said young drivers have unique driving characteristics that distinguish them from other motorists.
“The lack of experience and ability to read the map of dangers on the road, as well as driving at night, while fatigued, under the influence of alcohol, and at excessive speed, place them in a high-risk group for involvement in road accidents," Yaakov stated. “At the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety, they continue to ignore young people and cut the funding allocated to road safety education. Instead of strengthening education and training, the opposite is happening, and the severe results are accordingly. We want to create a new and better generation of drivers, and therefore we must invest in education. The Minister of Transport and Road Safety must place saving lives at the top of her priorities and advance measures that will save lives. Approval of a multi-year national plan that emphasizes driver education is necessary and required, especially in light of the major failure of the past two years."
Urban roads saw 22 young drivers killed in 2025 - a 38% increase compared to 2024 and the highest figure in the past decade. In addition, 723 young drivers were injured in accidents on urban roads in 2025, of whom 1,476 were seriously injured.
In Jerusalem, 79 young drivers were injured in 2025, five of whom were killed and 23 seriously injured. In Haifa, 77 young drivers were injured, one was killed and 13 seriously injured, while in Tel Aviv-Yafo, 54 young drivers were injured, including three fatalities and ten serious injuries.
In Be'er Sheva, 56 young drivers were injured, three of them seriously. Petah Tikva recorded 33 injured young drivers, including one fatality and six serious injuries, and Ashdod saw 30 injured, five of them seriously.
In Netanya, 27 young drivers were injured, one seriously. Ashkelon recorded 20 injured, including two fatalities and two serious injuries. Holon saw 20 injured, six seriously, and Rishon LeZion recorded 17 injured young drivers, six of them seriously hurt.
The deadliest days of 2025 were Friday and Saturday. Fourteen young drivers were killed on Friday and 11 on Saturday. Weekends - from Thursday night through Saturday night - see increased involvement of young drivers in road accidents, with nighttime driving, at times under the influence of alcohol and fatigue, serving as central contributing factors.