Traffic points overhaul: only the most serious offense will count

The Knesset’s Economy Committee approved a major redesign of Israel’s traffic points system on Monday, after months in which many traffic violations carried no points at all. The reform, pushed by committee chair MK David Bitan, combines relief for minor offenses with tougher penalties for dangerous driving.

The most notable change is the formal adoption of the Talmudic principle of "kim lei bidraba minei". In practice, if a driver commits several offenses in one incident, such as entering an intersection and obstructing traffic, the authorities will assign points only for the most serious violation, not add them together.

Under the approved rules, offenses worth up to 6 points will remain on a driver’s record for one year instead of two. Offenses worth 8 or 10 points will still stay active for two years. The committee also reduced the points for several minor infractions: entering an intersection that cannot be cleared will drop from 6 points to zero, and obstruction of traffic will no longer bring any points.

At the same time, the reform sharply increases points for key safety violations. Running a red light, using a cellphone while driving, failing to yield at a crosswalk, and driving on the shoulder will rise to 10 points from 8. The points system will also resume fully for offenses that had not carried points since February because of a technical failure at the Transportation Ministry, including careless driving and crossing a solid line.

The new regulations are expected to take effect about 30 days after publication in the official gazette. The shorter one-year validity for low-level points will begin only about a year later, after the Transportation Ministry finishes technical preparations. Industry sources in the trucking and passenger transport sectors warned the changes may not adequately address the needs of professional drivers and could worsen labor shortages.