Over 250 people injured in Yom Kippur road accidents in 2025, road safety group warns
Over the past decade, approximately 2,472 people were injured in road accidents on Yom Kippur.
In 2025, 295 individuals sustained injuries in road accidents during the Yom Kippur holiday, with an average of 12 people injured per hour, according to the Green Light road safety organization. This figure encompasses those who required medical attention following collisions involving various modes of transportation, such as bicycles, electric bicycles, electric scooters, roller skates, hoverboards, and motor vehicles. Over the past ten years, the same day witnessed 2,472 injuries in similar accidents.
Tragically, six lives were lost in road accidents on Yom Kippur during the past decade, with two fatalities occurring in 2025 alone. Notably, 12-year-old Barak Houri died when he was struck by a driver while riding his bicycle on Route 4 near Givat Shmuel in 2021, and 8-year-old Itai Margi was killed by a vehicle at the intersection of Jabotinsky Street and Namir Road in Tel Aviv in 2019.
Even when traffic dwindles to near-zero levels, the risk remains present. Riders can unintentionally fall, collide with pedestrians or fellow riders, or encounter emergency vehicles. In certain areas, such as the South and parts of Jerusalem, increased driving among non-Jewish populations contributes to this hazard. Green Light CEO and attorney Yaniv Yaakov emphasized that despite the holiday atmosphere, riders face significant dangers, particularly those on two-wheeled vehicles.
The Transportation and Road Safety Ministry is urged to raise awareness of these dangers, particularly on Yom Kippur. Green Light provided safety recommendations ahead of the holiday, urging riders to slow down at intersections, avoid assuming roads are empty, establish safe riding areas for children, maintain their bicycles, ensure proper fitting, wear helmets, ride with lights and reflectors at night, and use protective gear.
Electric vehicles, particularly those intended for adults, are not recommended for children under 16 years old. Lastly, Green Light advised fasting individuals to avoid riding and not to send children out without water.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
