The unimaginable data is revealed: this is how Route 40 became the road of death

In light of the flood disaster about two weeks ago and the tragic accident last night on Route 40, in which one-year-old Maayan Domanovich was killed , the Knesset Research and Information Center published a report this morning (Thursday) that reviews a decade of road accidents on this bloody road.

The data of the report shows that in the 557 accidents that occurred on Route 40, 61 people were killed in 49 fatal accidents. The largest number of accidents was recorded between the years 2012-2022, mainly in the two busier sections: between Sde Boker and Beer Sheva (257 accidents) and in the section The road between Beer Sheva and Kiryat Gat (213 accidents).

Ma'ain Jal (Photo: Courtesy of the family)

From the report compiled by Knesset researcher Asenat Algom-Mizrachi at the request of MK Shalom Danino, it can be learned that almost half of all road accidents (45.8%) were front-to-side accidents – the type of accident considered the most deadly and a distinct characteristic of intersections. According to the data, 87 accidents (about 16%) occurred due to a front-rear collision. 57 accidents due to a head-on collision (about 10%), 43 due to overturning (about 8%) and about 3% of the accidents included an injury to a pedestrian.

In terms of the report's findings, it can be learned that 358 accidents (about 64%) occurred during the day, while 199 of them (about 36%) occurred at night. bloody year

"The writing was on the wall"

According to the evidence, the fatal accident that occurred yesterday was caused after she was driving in the opposite lane and hit the family car directly. "Route 40 for the most part suffers from a poor infrastructure and is unforgiving of driver mistakes. Without a separation fence between the lanes, any small mistake could cause a fatal accident like the one that happened today. The writing was on the wall and this road is dangerous and red for anyone who chooses to use it," said the CEO of the association Or Yerok Adv. Yaniv Yaakov.

"The Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety is boasting of a new and large budget, therefore part of it must be directed to improving the infrastructure on the red roads with the most accidents, such as Route 40. It is not always only the driver who is to blame, therefore we must not wait for the next disaster and only then improve the infrastructure on the road," he added.

The head of the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council, Eran Doron, agreed with his words, saying following the accident: "I expect the Ministry of Transportation to complete the planning process for the expansion of Highway 40 and begin the implementation of the expansion immediately. Unfortunately, this accident only proves that we must not lose additional time that could cost my life A person".

The chairman of the Yesh Atid faction and the chairman of the road safety subcommittee, MK Boaz Toporovsky , said: "The government neglects the Negev roads. The terrible accident on Independence Day in which the baby Mayan Domanovich was killed while his father and brother were critically injured, is not a decree of fate. The government The change began to lead to a change in priorities and promoted a policy to prioritize investment in road infrastructure in the Negev and the Galilee. Now, due to political interests, the Negev is once again left behind with only 15% of the Ministry of Transportation's five-year plan for transportation infrastructure allocated to the Negev. The largest region in the country, and unfortunately also the deadliest, Being discriminated against in the five-year plan, a quarter of whose budget is earmarked for Judea and Samaria."

"This discrimination also endangers the plan to widen Route 40 where the accident occurred. A plan promoted by the change government and was soon to be implemented, with the aim of making the red road, on which 61 people were killed between 2012 and 2022, safer. But when the budgets are transferred According to political proximity, the bleeding Negev roads return to the bottom of the order of priorities, because the periphery is not really of interest to the government," he added.