The official traffic reports of the police are revealed: what is the most common offense, how was the enforcement affected by the disturbances in the "Wall Guard", and the unprecedented extent of the Israelis who sought to be tried in the past year.
In 2021, the Israel Police distributed 1,235,938 traffic reports, a decrease of about 13% compared to 2020 - according to police data revealed here for the first time. Which are 45% less than their number in May 2020.
According to Advocate Eyal Basarglik, an expert in criminal law, white collar, traffic and constitution, "The sharp drop in data probably does not show that Israelis have started to act more calmly and patiently, but mainly emphasizes the short blanket of the police, who are in severe labor shortage.
"In the past year there have been many incidents that have required police attention: from riots during Operation Wall Guard, through mass demonstrations in Balfour and bridges across the country, to enforcement of corona regulations - which, unlike today, in early 2021 was still a major government target.
"All of this, along with the fact that the number of devices in the police force does not match real needs and the fact that people travel much less during a closure period, has probably led to a sharp decline in traffic offense enforcement."
Excessive speed led to the top of the reports in 2021 as well, but while its rate in 2020 was a third of all traffic reports, its rate in the past year accounted for only 23% of all reports and reflected a 40% drop in total annual speed reports.
Also, despite the general decline in the number of reports, in 2021 there were more reports of illicit use of cell phones, which accounted for 14% of all reports this year. Carelessly increased in 2021 compared to 2020.
"Changing the trend in enforcement"
"These are particularly interesting figures, which may herald a change in the police's trend in enforcement," says Advocate Basarglik.
"As long as the decrease in the enforcement of speeding offenses is maintained in the current year as well, we can learn that the Israeli police have internalized the criticism."
A trial instead of a fine
A surprising statistic concerns the number of requests for a trial for an offense, instead of paying the fine set out in the report. While in 2020 59,521 such requests were submitted, their number in 2021 was 109,910 - a sharp and inconceivable jump of 83%. Issued in a judgment, albeit not dramatically: 31,371 in 2021 compared to 27,285 in 2020 - a relatively moderate increase, especially compared to the meteoric increase of 15% in the number of court applications.
According to Advocate Basarglik, this indicates a practical expansion of the number of representatives in the field of transportation, and clients who would rather pay and manage a case in court than reach an arrangement that could include the revocation of their license for a certain period.
Adv. Eyal Basarglik,
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