With School Out, Groups Urge Extra Caution

With school out for summer vacation at Israeli state schools, authorities appealed to children – and their parents – to observe safety rules. A study by the Or Yarok safety organization shows that 23 children and teenagers were killed in road accidents last summer. Some 1,000 children and youths age 19 and under were injured in road accidents between the beginning of June and the end of August in 2017, the report said.

The large majority of children in Israel do not participate in an organized arrangement for the majority of summer. There are summer camps, but generally they do not run for the entire day, and sleepaway camps generally do not last more than one, or maximum two weeks. As a result, many children are left to their own devices for large parts of the day. The situation lends itself to an unsafe situation, Or Yarok said.

According to Erez Kita, chairman of the group, “summer vacation is a time of significant danger for children. They are outside playing without supervision outdoors. In order to ensure that our children pass the season safely, the Transportation Ministry and Road Safety Administration, along with local authorities, needs to increase awareness of the need for caution when crossing the street or riding bicycles.”