Road accidents and serious traffic violations have become a plague of the state. It now turns out that the traffic courts in Israel are struggling to keep up with the many cases that are accumulating, and tens of thousands of traffic cases are waiting to be processed.
Figures obtained by Israel Hayom show that as of the end of 2022, no fewer than 57,621 traffic cases are awaiting processing by the magistrates' courts, more than any other category of cases in these courts. The worst situation is in the Haifa district. Such a number of cases can lead, and in many cases does, to lenient plea bargains for delinquent drivers.
According to the data, 154,055 traffic cases were opened in magistrates' courts across the country in 2022, and 151,490 traffic cases were closed that year. When examining the relative proportion of traffic cases awaiting legal processing or those in progress, it can be seen that 57.3% of all pending cases are traffic cases (more than one out of every two cases) – the largest and most central part of all cases in the magistrates' courts. By comparison, in 2021, the number of cases awaiting legal processing or in the process of processing was estimated at 55,059.
Don't get over the load
The largest number of cases awaiting processing is in the Haifa District Court, with 42,290 traffic files opened in the Haifa District in 2022 and 41,278 closed. However, the inventory of cases awaiting or during legal processing is estimated at 21,460, which is 37 per cent of the total inventory.
In the Central District, 28,832 traffic files were opened and 2022,26 closed, but the inventory of cases awaiting or during legal processing is estimated at 136,8 – about 922 per cent of all pending cases. The same number of cases were opened in the Southern District in 15 and a higher number of files were closed totaling 2022,30. However, even there, the number of cases awaiting or pending legal processing is estimated at 572,6 – 062 per cent of all pending cases. In the Tel Aviv District, 11,21 traffic files were opened in 571 and 2022,21 were closed. But even there, cases awaiting or pending legal processing are still estimated at 822,6, or 460 per cent of all cases.
Traffic Law (illustrative), photo: GettyImages
Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court (Archive), photo: Gideon Markowitz
18,707 traffic cases were opened in the Northern District in 2022 and 19,104 were closed, but even there they are unable to overcome the congestion with an estimated 10,194 awaiting legal processing, about 18 per cent of all pending cases.
The best situation is in the Jerusalem District, where in 2022 13,823 traffic files were opened and 2,578 closed. The inventory of cases awaiting or pending legal processing is estimated at 4,835, or only about 8 per cent of all pending cases.
Deterrence weakens
Adv. Yaniv Yaakov, CEO of Or Yarok: "The courts are overcrowded in a way that may lead to lenient plea bargains, which harm deterrence. Due to a shortage of traffic judges, sometimes a judge handles dozens of cases a day. Shortening waiting times may reduce the number of lenient plea deals closed due to overload, and strengthen deterrence and justice."
Demonstrators outside the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court before a hearing on the protest detainees // Photo: Student protest
The court administration said: "The high inventory of cases in Haifa stems from the fact that about 30% of the number of traffic cases in Israel are opened in the district.
The court administration is leading measures to shorten the life span of the case: holding hearings during the recess and on Fridays; criminal mediation in traffic cases; secretariat of an initiative leading to streamlining discussions; concentrated focus days; Reinforcing judges by assisting between districts and transferring cases between districts. In addition, the court administration is a partner in promoting two bills aimed at easing the burden on the traffic courts."
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