An Israel Police report reveals disturbing information regarding those involved in fatal car accidents in recent years. Arab mayor says high proportion of Arab fatalities are due to poor infrastructure & harsh economic situation.

Hassan Shaalan

Some 45% of those killed in car accidents since the beginning of the year are members of the Arab community in Israel, a police report released Monday says. Even worse, half of the young drivers involved in fatal car accidents are from the Arab sector.

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It was further reported that in the past five years, more than 500 drivers involved in car accidents were documented as driving under the influence of alcohol. From 2010 until today, more than 3,200 children under the age of seven were injured in car accidents, and in 71% of accidents that took place during the evening of the month of Ramadan, Arab drivers were involved.

According to him, “in the past year, the Baka municipality received over NIS 100 million ($28.5 million), and that means we can do something. We want to live a modern life and see a better future, and see proper roads, playgrounds and children smiling – not disasters.”

In response to this data, which was exposed in a conference attended by Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino and Interior Security Minister Aharonovich, Baka Mayor Morsi Abu-Moch said: “The issue of car accidents is not easy, and the data is alarming. There is no doubt that the number of casualties within the (Arab) sector is the highest. The economic situation is extremely tough, there is poor infrastructure, abandoned roads, lack of road signs, these are facts we live with every day.”

Abu-Moch added: “We, as community leaders, do no want to end our time in office, and tell the citizens that we were unable to make things better because the State is racist.”

Minister Aharonovich addressed the harsh data, and said that “the increase in car accidents is troubling. Last year we had a nice decrease, and this year we see an increase… We need to look for ways to overcome (this issue), so that we could work together on eradicating the phenomenon, and not blame one another.”

Aharonovich claimed that the police are unable of adding forces within the Arab sector, and called on the Arab citizens to “enlist in the police and volunteer… The forces we are sending to the (Arab) sector are quite significant, but it is still not enough. This is a matter of culture, family and infrastructure, and we must work on the subject with the utmost professionalism.”

View original Ynet publication at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4455081,00.html