Danger of death on the way to Eilat

A narrow and winding road

I took a routine look in the mirror to see that everything was fine. Behind us the narrow road wound between the yellow gravel hills, empty of vehicles, except for a large truck that made its way a long way off. It was noon, the sun was hanging overhead and the sky was clear and clear of clouds. The temperature gauge on the display in front of me showed 38 degrees. We didn't feel the heat because the air conditioner in the car did a good job. Traffic on the road was sparse. And only occasionally did a car come in front of us and pass it, heading north.

"Nafha prison - Ramon prison" announced the sign we passed by. To our right we could see a large compound, surrounded by high walls and watchtowers. Our rate of progress was satisfactory. We left Kiryat Haim late in the morning and made our way to Eilat. In a short while we will reach Mitzpe Ramon, where we will stop for a short rest.

At the wheel sat my daughter, a new driver who received the desired driver's license but about a month ago and was in the process of her training. The purpose of our trip to Eilat was mainly to practice her and improve her driving skills. I sat next to her as a companion. I was quite calm since she drives not bad at all.

New driver's license plate

On the rear window of our family's Toyota Auris, he proudly hung, as required by law, a "new driver" sign. The purpose of this sign is to convey a message to drivers on the road: the car in front of you is being driven by a new and inexperienced driver. Please treat him with understanding, forgiveness and kindness."

It turns out that in Israel, this sign causes some drivers to behave exactly the opposite. Losing patience, not being considerate and acting more aggressively than usual. I came to this conclusion after accompanying my wife for over a month. Even today they did not disappoint. Until now, we have seen quite a few impatient drivers who, at the sight of the sign emblazoned on the vehicle, committed minor and serious traffic violations.

I glance in the mirror again. The truck is now much closer. A driver took advantage of the drop, beat Reyes, caught up with us and is now behind us, getting closer. The speed limit on the road we drive on is 80 km/h, but because of the dangerous bends on it, the signs occasionally warn of an approaching curve. The new driver on my left carefully observes the speed limit. The driver of the huge truck carrying oversized concrete slabs in a box really doesn't like it , and he starts honking impatiently, probably because we made him lose the swang he gained on the way down.

מה לעשות?

Ahead of us is a sign warning of a sharp curve in the road. The new driver next to me slows down as required. The nervous driver behind us really doesn't like it anymore. I turn my head back and am startled to see that he is really tight, honking and honking. I look at my daughter. She grips the steering wheel tightly, anxiously glances at the mirror and then at me, asking: What to do?"

There isn't even a shoulder on this road that you can go down to and I reassure her.

"It just seems close. Keep driving as usual, he won't dare to hurt us.",

is that so?

At these moments I am reminded of Spielberg's (first long) film "Duel", starring William Dennis Weaver, known to the elderly among us as Deputy Marshall McLeod, in the police series of the same name, which aired in the seventies. In the movie "Dual", Dennis Weaver is a sales agent who drives a Plymouth semi-trailer on the roads of the Mojave Desert in the southwest of the USA for his business. During the trip, he overtakes a tanker that was traveling slowly in front of him. For some reason, this act angered the truck driver and it began in a brutal and merciless pursuit of the poor sales agent and ends in a dramatic and violent way.

Has the driver lost his mind?

Has the driver behind us lost his mind and does he intend to hurt us?

The truck is right next to us from behind and the driver doesn't stop honking. We pass the curve safely and in front of us there is a hill, after which a straight road stretches without twists and turns, until we reach Hd 1. Happily, the road in front of us is empty of vehicles and I hope that the truck driver will take advantage of this to overtake us and continue on his way.

He stops honking and takes a detour, but what's going on here? I can't believe my eyes!

The truck driver starts overtaking and drives parallel to us. I tell my daughter to slow down and allow him to complete the detour as quickly as possible. He moves slowly and returns to the lane sharply, closing in on us, honking his horn for a long time and forcing my daughter to slow down and deviate from the lane to avoid being hit. He apparently wanted to "punish" us.

When he moved away and continued on his way, we find a place where we can stop and relax.

We arrived at Mitzpe Ramon about fifteen minutes later. In the parking lot next to the road in the city center, we saw the truck parked. I peeked into the cabin. I wanted to see the face of this dangerous person who was licensed to drive a vehicle that could turn into a deadly weapon.

The cabin was empty.

A life-saving or life-threatening sign?

About two hours later, we arrived in Eilat safely. On the way we encountered other impatient drivers who "stuck" behind a vehicle bearing the "new driver" sign, but we did not meet a lunatic of that truck driver's type.

In light of this reality, the question arises in my heart: does the "new driver" sign in Israel fulfill its purpose of protecting a new and inexperienced driver, or is it the opposite?