When Adar Rabin enters with joy. A new survey by the Or Yarok association on the occasion of the holiday of Purim reveals: 46% of the public, one in two respondents admitted: I drank alcohol and drove at least once in the past year. The survey was designed to examine the public's attitudes regarding road accidents in Israel and the extent of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Compared to a similar survey conducted in 2022, there was an increase in the number of drivers who admitted to driving after drinking alcohol – 46% this year compared to 40% in 2022.
When asked what their explanations were for driving after drinking alcohol: 11% claimed that they drive very carefully and a similar number of respondents believed that alcohol does not affect them. 5% claimed that there is no one else who can drive and the rest reported that they exercise great caution, drink coffee, water and only then set off or that they drink a little.
Attorney Yaniv Yaakov, CEO of the Green Or Association:
The survey results are alarming. Drivers drink alcohol and are not afraid to get behind the wheel immediately afterwards because they understand that the chance of being caught is very small. The holiday of Purim with its many accompanying parties is a good time to hold a major enforcement operation to create deterrence and understanding among the public that anyone who drinks alcohol and drives will be caught and severely punished. Deterrence will prevent drivers from drinking alcohol, getting behind the wheel, and endangering all of our lives. On the other hand, strict and uncompromising enforcement must be carried out throughout the year, not just on special events. In recent years, the State of Israel has abandoned the traffic police, with hundreds of police officers and hundreds of vehicles missing. The way to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road is by strengthening and empowering the traffic department and its presence on the roads, raising awareness of the dangers of drunk driving, and increasing the severity of punishment by the courts, throughout the year.
One in two residents in Haifa and the north admits: I drank alcohol and drove
47% of residents of Haifa and the North admitted to drinking alcohol at least once in the past year and then driving, 31% did so more than once.
excuses: People give different explanations for why they drive after drinking alcohol, when asked which of the following statements best explains their behavior after drinking and driving:
| Northern Haifa Area | |
| 1. Because alcohol doesn't affect me | 2.5% |
| 2. Because I drive very carefully after drinking. | 2.5% |
| 3. Because I take precautions, for example, drinking coffee and water and only then setting off. | 8.5% |
| 4. Because there is no one else who can drive | 9.5% |
| 5. None of these things | 30.3% |
| 6. Drinks little/doesn't drink much | 23.9% |
| 7. Other answers | 11.9% |
| 8. Do not know | 10.9% |
When examining the figure of how many people have traveled with a driver who has been drinking alcohol, the number is already higher - 56% of respondents admitted that they have traveled at least once in the past year with a driver who has been drinking alcohol.
Alcohol affects you from the first drop. When asked how long after drinking alcohol do you feel fit to drive? 21% claimed that they return to driving immediately up to an hour. 20% claimed that they return to driving after an hour and 22% claimed that they return to driving after two hours.
Alcohol-related accidents – one casualty every day
1,709 people were injured in traffic accidents due to drunk/drug driving in the last five years, an average of 342 people each year, according to CBS data analyzed by the Or Yarok association.
One in two victims is a vehicle driver
54% of victims in alcohol/drug accidents in the last five years are drivers of four-wheeled vehicles – one in every two victims. 32% of victims are vehicle passengers. Combining the two figures shows that 86% of victims in alcohol/drug accidents were driving a four-wheeled vehicle. 5% of victims are drivers and passengers of motorcycles and scooters and 4% were injured while walking.
Killed
The data shows that 31 people were killed in the last five years in alcohol/drug accidents and 147 were seriously injured in the last five years.
- The survey was conducted on November 21-22.11.2024, 501 as an online survey using a permanent, multi-participant panel among 18 men and women aged 400 and over, of whom 98 were Jews and 4.4 were Arabs, constituting a nationally representative sample of the population in the State of Israel. The sampling error in relation to the various estimates is XNUMX%.
As of 15/3/25
85 deaths since the beginning of the year compared to 67 in 2024
Massacre on the roads, every day.
If the rate of increase in fatal accidents continues, by 2025 there will be 500 deaths annually.
This is after the high of 430 a year ago.
"Internet survey"...