Transport Minister Regev failed to deliver on 8 promises in Israel — Jerusalem Post
As of October 2026, eight key transport initiatives announced at various times by Transport and Road Safety Minister Miri Regev had not been implemented in Israel. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post following a review of the official's promises.
The publication notes that in 2024 and 2025, the number of people killed in road accidents in the country reached its highest level in two decades. In 2026, only a slight decrease was recorded, which the Jerusalem Post links to a sharp drop in the figure in March, when the population was in shelters during Operation Roaring Lion.
A plan without funding
At the end of 2025, the European Transport Safety Council suspended the participation of Israel's National Road Safety Authority in the Road Safety Performance Index programme. The organisation said that the actions of the current Israeli government did not meet its fundamental commitment to protect life. Israel's Transport Ministry called the decision political.
Government Decision No. 3491 of November 16, 2025, approved a national road safety plan for 2026–2030 in Israel. It envisaged reducing the number of road accident victims by 25% over five years compared with the average for 2021–2025. The ministry said 350 million shekels per year would be allocated, but as of October 2026, the funds had not been transferred for implementation of the plan.
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Unimplemented transport changes
Other unfulfilled initiatives include legalising ridesharing, increasing fines, including for using a phone while driving, and abolishing the internal exam at driving schools. The planned abolition of this exam on June 18, 2026, was postponed one day before the changes were to take effect due to instructors' protests and technical problems.
A proposal to reduce the minimum number of driving lessons before taking the practical test, from 28 to 22 for cars with automatic transmissions, was also not implemented. The Or Yarok association, the European Transport Safety Council and specialists from the National Road Safety Authority opposed it.
The use of Tesla's Full Self-Driving system in Israel was not approved either: current rules still require the driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel. An initiative to allow licensed garages to conduct annual vehicle inspections remains at the legislative review stage. Reform of the Medical Institute for Road Safety, which was intended to reduce drivers' waiting times for medical examinations, has also not been completed.
The ministerial committee on road safety, whose creation Regev announced in November 2024, held three meetings: in May and October 2025, and in February 2026. According to the publication, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appointed chair of the committee, did not attend any of them, and the meetings did not result in substantial road safety decisions.
