National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir Challenges New Speed Camera Enforcement Thresholds

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has 78 traffic violations on record, plans to appeal to Police Commissioner Major General Danni Levi to overturn recent changes to speed camera enforcement thresholds. Although the Traffic Department of the police holds the professional authority over such decisions, sources close to Ben Gvir said the minister "did not like" the new enforcement policy.

The Traffic Department announced that starting soon, each highway speed camera will enforce speed limits based on variable thresholds tailored to road conditions, rather than the previous fixed threshold of 10-15 km/h above the speed limit. This decision followed a comprehensive professional review of the nationwide speed camera network, analyzing road characteristics, traffic volumes, accident data, injury rates, and risk factors for each location. The police emphasized that the goal of enforcement is not to issue fines but to save lives, prevent accidents, and deter dangerous driving to reduce fatalities and injuries.

Additionally, last month the Traffic Department launched the "Road Police" project, a new technological enforcement system designed to capture life-threatening traffic violations in real time. Approximately 100 cameras have been installed in mobile police units, with plans to expand to hundreds more in both visible and covert vehicles across Israel. This system allows officers to document offenses such as driving on shoulders, illegal overtaking, running red lights, and endangering other road users without physically stopping drivers. Visual evidence is sent to a national processing center where traffic citations are generated and mailed to vehicle owners.