Police Stop Packed Car Carrying 12 People, Including Children in the Trunk

A targeted enforcement operation by police in the Shai District uncovered several serious traffic violations on Highway 90 near Jericho on Tuesday morning. Officers from the Beka'a station, together with Yasam Gilead fighters, stopped a private car and found 12 passengers inside, more than double the legal limit for the vehicle.

Police said some of the children were seated in the trunk, which had been turned into an improvised passenger bench. The mother was also in the car breastfeeding a three-month-old baby while holding him without a seat belt, child seat, or any other safety restraint. Officers said the conditions placed the infant and the other passengers in immediate danger in the event of sudden braking or a minor collision.

The car was licensed to carry only five passengers, matching the number of seat belts installed. Police stressed that carrying seven extra people, especially children in the trunk, is a grave criminal and traffic offense that destabilizes the car and leaves passengers unprotected in a crash. They warned that such behavior turns an ordinary drive into a potential death trap.

During the same operation, officers stopped a 21-year-old driver who had never taken a driving test or received a license, while his father sat beside him in the front seat. Both were referred for fast-track traffic proceedings, one for driving without a license and the other for permitting an unlicensed driver. The operation produced eight traffic tickets and summonses, and two drivers were called to an urgent hearing for administrative vehicle impoundment. Police also found one car still on the road after being previously taken off it for serious defects, and another that was removed from the road during the day because of dangerous mechanical and safety faults.