The promises of change - in the face of the painful reality: behind the numbers of riders killed on the road
The year 2021 is racing for the title of one of the deadliest years on the roads in general - and for two-wheelers in particular.
Within a decade, the number of riders killed has doubled, with a quarter of those killed in accidents being motorcyclists since the beginning of the year.
Despite statements by the previous and current government for change - nothing is happening yet, and we will continue to pay with human lives
Keenan Cohen
07/12/2021
Tuesday, 07 December 2021, 14:45 Updated: Saturday, 11 December 2021, 14:47
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Three people killed in a car overturn at the Tamra junction in the Lower Galilee (Photo: MDA operational documentation)
The proportion of motorcyclists killed in road accidents has doubled within a decade.
The main reasons for this are the increase in the number of people using two-wheelers due to the congestion on the roads, the lack of skill in controlling the motorcycle and the lack of investment in infrastructure.
To put it bluntly, just since the beginning of the year, 83 riders have been killed, making up about a quarter of those killed in road accidents this year.
Former Finance Minister Israel Katz and current Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli have promised to allocate millions to infrastructure - but nothing has been done.
Of all the vehicles on the road and in relation to the condition of the two-wheeled vehicles, the riders are killed in large numbers.
In the whole of 2020 68 riders were killed, however it was the year of Corona.
In 2019 - 66 killed, a year before?
44 killed.
And it's not just this increase, data from the Green Light Association show that 2021 is currently the peak year for a decade-old trend, in which the death toll on two-wheelers has doubled.
From 12.5% in 2011 to about 25% in 2021.
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Road accident in Or Akiva, April (Photo: Official website, Ihud Hatzalah spokeswoman)
The address on the road
"The state has abandoned motorcyclists and scooter riders on the roads in recent years," says Erez Kita, CEO of the Green Light Association. The
increase in vehicle density on the roads in recent years, the parking shortage, car prices, faltering public transport and the cost of living, all have pushed more and more people to choose two-wheelers as a transport solution. Some are new and inexperienced riders, some have existing licenses but no Practical riding experience for years. These and those are thrown into the local jungle on the roads and pay a price.
This is especially noticeable among those young people up to the age of 24. With 50,000 licenses, these constitute 8% of all drivers with two-wheelers, but with 22 killed In 2020 up to this age, they make up 32% of the deaths - four times that.
Within this group the condition of the Arab riders is even worse.
While they make up a quarter of those young riders, in the last decade their involvement in accidents has totaled 42%.
Again, far beyond their relative share in this group.
According to the data, the volume of the motorcycle also has great significance.
About 45% of all fatalities in the last decade, were on motorcycles over 401 cc, while 50 cc scooters are "responsible" for only 6% of all dead riders.
This distribution can of course be attributed to the skill required to control the motorcycle, especially the fast and heavy ones, skills that young riders simply have not yet acquired.
On the other hand these numbers do not take into account the distribution of the passenger on these vehicles, a large motorcycle travels more miles than a scooter travels per year. This fits in with the fact that 62% of fatalities are on intercity roads.
The scene of an accident in Sakhnin in which a motorcyclist was killed last month (Photo: MDA)
Less wheels, more skill
And the deadly combination of unskilled riders, whether young or just those who return to the handlebars after many years and motorcycles, in Israel's difficult driving conditions - sits at the critical point. While the state equips riders with a license, there is a huge gap between the plastic card and the skills needed in practice, which are not just familiarity with traffic laws, but more complex aspects of riding. For example, familiarity with the limitations and capabilities of two-wheeled vehicles, riding techniques to aspects of early assessment of chances and risks, their early identification and coping with them.
According to the PRT (Guidelines for Checking the Feasibility of Transportation Projects) procedure of the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety and the Ministry of Finance, the average cost of motorcycle accidents is estimated at more than NIS 1.2 billion each year. And subsidize participation in training. "Green Light" recommends a reform that includes a tax exemption for safety accessories and protection for riders or create a model of discount in insurance rates for those who complete participation in riding training courses.
"Motorcycles have changed, riding conditions have changed, For years, "says Moshe Farhi, an advanced riding instructor and instructor." I wish they would teach the really important things like braking, like steering, but that does not happen. "
An accident scene in which a motorcyclist was killed near Givat Shmuel, October (Photo: MDA,.)
Due to the lack of reference to this area, this permeates the driving instructors themselves.
"Not everyone, but some see driving instruction as a way to make money and that's all. My client who had a hard time passing a test asked me to come accompany her on the field, her teacher saw me and told me 'leave her, let her alone she will fix'."
But his criticism is also directed at the attitude of some of the students.
"They want the license as soon as possible" from there, as you assume the road to contempt is very short.
The Ministry of Transportation also acknowledges the absurd situation in which the instruction to drive two-wheelers is based on that of cars and has been promising reform and a change in instructional habits for more than a year.
The last time we heard about this plan was in August and a promise that "during the coming year changes in the plan will be assimilated."
28 riders have been killed since last August.
Accident scene on Road 1, Tuesday (Photo: Official website, Rescue Team spokeswoman)
The railings of death and the millions that disappear
Another life-saving item in the field of two-wheelers that is lacking is the lack of investment in infrastructure for motorcyclists. In the green light, the issue of the deadly safety railings, which stand on metal piles, and "act" as a guillotine when a rider slips and encounters them, cuts off arms, legs and worse.
MK Boaz Toporovsky is a lone and consistent voice who has been fighting for years for the allocation of budgets for the installation of energy-absorbing protective strips. Since mid-2019, there has been a lack of dedicated budgeting for this purpose, former Ralba CEO Racheli Tevet Wiesel has admitted. Promises to allocate NIS 20 million for this purpose were given to MK Toporovsky as early as the end of 2020 by former Finance Minister Israel Katz.
The year 2021 is rapidly accelerating to the title of one of the deadliest years on the road in general and for two-wheeler riders in particular, changes in the deadlift curve we have already learned - do not occur in "Zvang and we're done", are always part of processes requiring arm combination, long-term investment and determination, not one MK. Advanced riding instructors or civic associations.
Without this investment, we will continue to pay with human lives.
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