361 Israelis killed in car crashes during past year, the deadliest since 2017

The number of Israelis killed in car crashes stood at 361 as 2021 came to a close on Friday, the deadliest year on the roads since 2017.

The death toll was markedly higher than 2020, when 305 people were killed in crashes across Israel. However, during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, traffic was significantly curtailed amid nationwide lockdowns.

This year’s figure amounted to nearly one person killed per day on average.

According to the Transportation Ministry, 33 percent of those killed were in cars; 23% were on two-wheeled vehicles; 26% were pedestrians; 8% were on bicycles or electric scooters; and the other 10% were killed in trucks, buses, taxis or other circumstances.

The ministry said 78% of those killed were male.

It noted that there had been a 43% rise in motorcycle victims compared to 2018-2020. The ministry added that 35% of motorcycle fatalities were killed in single-vehicle accidents.

During the past year, 56 new drivers were killed, 42% higher than the average between 2018 and 2020, the ministry said.

The deadliest month on the roads was April, during which 47 people were killed in car crashes. On average, the deadliest day of the week was Friday, and the deadliest hour during the day was between 4 p.m and 5 p.m.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said Friday its medics treated 44,023 people who were hurt in traffic accidents during 2021.