National enforcement operation resulted in nearly 6,000 tickets in one day

Driving instructors were documented using mobile phones and committing distracted driving offenses during driving lessons, the police reported. The documentation was part of an intensified enforcement operation conducted on Thursday across the country against life-threatening traffic violations.

During the operation, thousands of drivers were checked, and 5,924 tickets were issued. Among other things, 1,072 tickets were issued for distraction and mobile phone use, 211 for speeding, 116 for running a red light at an intersection, and 165 for failing to yield to pedestrians.

Additionally, 332 tickets were issued for vehicle use prohibitions, 154 tickets to riders of two-wheeled vehicles, and 14 drivers were caught driving while disqualified, along with 17 drivers who were not authorized to drive the type of vehicle they were operating. During the operation, 42 license suspensions, 81 vehicle impoundments, and 11 arrests were recorded.

Furthermore, 1,599 tickets for speeding and running a red light were processed by the digital enforcement equipment department, and the police stated that they were sent to the vehicle owners. 103 additional offenses were captured by the vehicle cameras of the 'Shomrei Derech' (Road Guardians) unit, and these tickets were also sent to the vehicle owners.

Police noted that the use of a mobile phone by driving instructors during a lesson is particularly dangerous due to the risk to the student and other road users. During the operation, drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs, drivers driving while disqualified, and a two-wheeled vehicle rider in whose possession were found bags containing a substance suspected to be cocaine and cash were also located.

In one case, a driver was arrested in the coastal area while driving while disqualified and under the influence of drugs, and his license was suspended. In another case, a driver was arrested after refusing to comply with a detention, attacking a policewoman, and being imprisoned. Another driver was caught driving under the influence of drugs with a joint in his hand; after his interrogation, he was released under restrictive conditions, including house arrest, and his license was suspended.

As part of the joint enforcement activity of the Traffic Division and the National Road Safety Authority, known as 'Committed to Life', additional traffic patrols were added to operate on Israel's roads.