Road accidents with casualties that occurred in the months of January to September 2020 as compared to the same time period in 2019
During this period restrictions were imposed on the movement and transport of Israeli citizens due to the spread of the coronavirus in Israel. These restrictions on movement led to a sharp decrease in the number of road accidents (20.1%) and in the number of casualties (26.5%) as compared to the previous year.
Despite the sharp decrease in the number of accidents and casualties, the decrease in the number of persons killed was more moderate and decreased by only 4.5%.
Despite the decrease in persons killed, there was a sharp increase of 26.2% in the number of motorcycle riders killed, an increase of 3.8% in the number of vehicle drivers killed and an increase of 1.5% in the number of pedestrians killed.
There was a sharp increase in the number of bicycle riders (not electric) that were seriously injured – 28.6%.
Despite the decrease in the number of road accidents, there was an increase in the number of fatal accidents on urban roads (20%) and an increase in the number of persons killed on these roads (16.8%).
During this period there was a decrease in the number of casualties (28.1%) and accidents (27.5%) in which electric bicycles were involved. Despite the decrease, there was an increase in the number of casualties (16.3%) and accidents (14.7%) in which electric scooters were involved, this is in data of accidents and casualties reported to the police.
Among the electric bicycle riders hospitalized as a result of road accidents that were not reported to the police, there was a decrease of 5.4% and an increase of 21.7% in the number of electric scooter riders hospitalized as a result of road accidents that were not reported to the police.
There was a decrease in the number of road accidents in which a mobility scooter was involved (41.3%) and in the number of casualties in these accidents (39.8%).
There was also a decrease of 6.8% in the number of mobility scooter riders hospitalized as a result of road accidents that were not reported to the police.
Road accidents with casualties classified by CBS as Expanded R.A. type in 2019
The number of fatal accidents in 2019 (319) was 11.5% higher than in 2018 (286).
The number of persons killed in 2019 (355) was 12.3% higher than in 2018 (316).
The number of seriously injured casualties in 2019 (2,394) was higher by 10.5% than 2018 (2,166).
The number of slightly injured casualties in 2019 (20,237) decreased by 1.5% as compared to 2018 (20,537).
According to the police reports in 2019 there were 1,653 accidents involving an electric bicycle. In these accidents 1,775 people were injured: 18 people were killed, 160 were seriously injured and 1,597 were slightly injured. Likewise, in accidents involving an electric bicycle that were not reported to the police, 506 casualties were hospitalized, of which 165 were seriously injured.
According to the police reports in 2019 there were 569 accidents involving an electric scooter. In these accidents 598 people were injured: 2 were killed, 41 were seriously injured and 555 were slightly injured. Likewise, in accidents involving an electric scooter that were not reported to the police, 209 casualties were hospitalized, of which 90 were seriously injured.
Approximately 24.1% of the pedestrians injured were aged 65 and over, more than twice their share in the population (11.8%).
Crosswalks do not ensure safe crossings. 78.5% of pedestrians injured while crossing the road were injured in a crosswalk. Of the children (up to age 14) injured while crossing the road, 73.3% were injured in a crosswalk and of casualties aged 65 and over – 73.7% were injured in a crosswalk.
Approximately 59% of casualties in road accidents were men and 41% were women.
25.1% of all the persons killed in road accidents in 2019 were pedestrians, lower than their average share in the last decade (31.4%). In 2019 there was a decrease of 9.2% in the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents as compared to 2018 (89 persons killed compared to 98 in 2018).
Road congestion continues to increase: the increasing rate of annual kilometers travelled as well as the fleet of vehicles is higher than the rate of increase of the length and area of the roads. The annual kilometers travelled increased by 73.2% compared to the year 2000, and the vehicle fleet increased by 96.6%, whereas the area of the roads increased by 50.7% and the length of the roads by only 21.2%. On the other hand, the index of persons killed in road accidents since the year 2000 has decreased by 31.2% and the index of road accidents decreased by 38.7%.
In 2019, the number of killed per 100,000 residents was 3.9, an increase of 9.6% as compared to 2018. The number of casualties per accident in 2018 was 1.8, similar to 2018.
In the last decade there was a significant decrease in the number of killed per 100,000 residents- from 4.6 in 2009 to 3.9 in 2019. However, the number of casualties per accident has barely changed in the last decade: 1.8 in 2019 as compared to 2.0 in 2009.
