BREAKING NEWS

Study: Jerusalem drivers dangerously distracted

Roughly one-third of drivers in the capital are dangerously distracted behind the wheel, an Or Yarok Association for Safer Driving in Israel study stated on Wednesday.
Founded in 1997 to prevent traffic accidents by raising awareness of driving dangers, Or Yarok studied 867 drivers in Jerusalem to determine adherence to safety standards. Among the 32% of distracted drivers, the researchers said 12% held their phone, texted, read emails, or surfed the Internet; 7% tended to the back seat; 5% spoke on their phones without using a hand-free device; 4% were consuming food; 2% read a newspaper or book; 1% shaved; and the remaining 1% applied makeup.    
According to Ohr Yarok CEO Shmuel Abuav, partaking in any of the illegal aforementioned activities while driving exponentially increases the risk of a deadly accident.
A solution, he asserted, is for the Transportation Ministry to “purchase 200 additional vehicles and recruit additional police and students to increase their visibility and deterrence on the roads.”