Israel to Test New Speed Limits on Four Major Highways

Israel’s Transportation Ministry, working with the Israel Police, Netivei Israel and the National Road Safety Authority, will launch a pilot in the coming months to examine whether speed limits on several major roads should be adjusted. The project follows about five months of internal review in which experts examined dozens of road segments across the country.

The review analyzed crash data, infrastructure conditions, traffic volumes, enforcement records and other safety indicators to determine whether posted speed limits match real-world road conditions. Based on the professional team’s recommendations, Transportation Minister Miri Regev approved a pilot on four major routes, Highway 1, Highway 2, Highway 90 and Highway 431.

The ministry stressed that this is not a blanket effort to raise speeds, but a segment-by-segment assessment based on engineering and safety considerations. Officials said the review also takes into account lane separation, visibility, installed safety systems, crash history and traffic conditions in each section.

The pilot will be monitored by all involved professional bodies. After about three months, the authorities are expected to conduct a comprehensive review of its effect on road safety, traffic flow, compliance with the speed limit and the severity of crashes. Depending on the results and the experts’ recommendations, the ministry may expand the program to additional roads nationwide. Regev said, "The goal is to adapt the speed to road conditions in a thoughtful and responsible way, while protecting human life and improving the driving experience."