Driver Caught Praying With Both Hands Off Wheel

By דודי גרליץ

Translated & summarized from JDN by baba

ReligiousNeutral tone

Hebrew · 3 newsrooms covering

Traffic police in Israel's Lachish region stopped a driver who was praying with both hands off the wheel, reading from a prayer book. The driver admitted her actions were wrong. In a related operation, police fined a driver NIS 1,000 for road bullying at a junction. These actions are part of a national campaign to reduce road deaths.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

A driver was stopped for praying with both hands off the steering wheel.
Police explained the severe danger of the driver's actions.
The driver admitted she was wrong to read from a prayer book while driving.
In a separate incident, a driver was fined NIS 1,000 for road bullying.
Enforcement is part of a national campaign to combat road fatalities.

Driver Caught Praying With Both Hands Off Wheel — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Traffic police officers in the Lachish region observed a driver who was praying and reading from a prayer book while driving, with both hands off the steering wheel. Her gaze was constantly directed down at the book and then back to the road. The officers stopped the driver for dangerous driving, explaining the severity of the risk. The officer handling the incident, who identified as a believer herself, told the driver, "I also believe, I also pray every morning... We noticed you holding the prayer book with both hands while driving, your gaze is directed downwards and returning to the road, your hands are not on the wheel. The slightest braking by the vehicle in front of you and I would be meeting you in a different incident." The driver admitted her actions, stating, "I know I am not right." In a separate incident during the same operation, officers from the national traffic police in Lachish enforced road bullying violations at the Plugot Junction. They observed drivers bypassing the queue of vehicles stuck in traffic, forcing other drivers to brake or swerve in a manner that could cause an accident. One driver caught in this violation was fined NIS 1,000. The police stated that these enforcement actions are part of the "Committed to Life" operation by the Traffic Division and the National Road Safety Authority, aimed at combating road fatalities.