Tel Aviv leads in number of road accident injuries

More than 11,500 people were injured in traffic accidents inside Tel Aviv in 2008.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
More than 11,500 people were injured in traffic accidents inside Tel Aviv in 2008, significantly more than in any other city in Israel, reports www.mynet.co.il. A survey by the Or Yarok road safety organization found that 30 people were injured in car accidents for every 1,000 residents living in Tel Aviv, and that many of the injured were pedestrians or cyclists. According to the report, 11,586 people were injured in traffic accidents in municipal streets in Tel Aviv in 2008, followed by 7,720 in Jerusalem, 7,098 in Haifa, 2,990 in Rishon Lezion and 2,975 in Beersheba. The survey found that a total of 75,000 people were injured in traffic accidents in 71 Israeli cities last year. An Or Yarok spokesman said that unlike inter-city roads, which were mostly used by vehicles, city roads were also used by pedestrians and cyclists, who were a "more vulnerable" group. "Municipal territory is more crowded and so the number of injured on municipal roads is greater (than on rural roads)," the spokesman said.