Driver Loses Appeal to Reduce Traffic Ticket Under New Law

A driver's appeal to reduce a NIS 1,200 traffic fine to NIS 100, based on a new law, has been rejected by the Central District Court in Lod. The driver was caught using a phone while driving in Rishon Lezion on April 3, 2024. In April 2025, he reached a plea deal, admitting guilt to a lesser offense of not holding the steering wheel with both hands, and agreeing to a NIS 1,200 fine.

On February 8, 2026, a new law took effect, reclassifying minor traffic offenses as administrative violations with a NIS 100 penalty for not holding the steering wheel with both hands. The driver argued that under Section 5(b) of the Penal Law, a lighter penalty from a new law should apply to his case, even though the offense occurred before the law's enactment.

The State argued that the new law did not alter the fine agreed upon in the plea deal and that any potential reduction would be an administrative process, not requiring a court reopening. The District Court acknowledged that Section 5(b) could apply to cases where the imposed sentence is harsher than the new law's penalty.

However, the court ultimately ruled that Section 48(a) of the new law, a transitional provision, explicitly states the law does not apply to offenses committed before its effective date. This provision preserves the penalties under the previous law. Therefore, the driver, whose offense occurred in April 2024, is not eligible for the reduced NIS 100 fine. The court also noted that reducing the fine would mean interfering with an already finalized plea agreement, which included a reduced charge, and upheld the original NIS 1,200 fine.