Drive in Israel
Driving in Israel has a negative reputation if you're not from Israel. All kinds of stories get around of Israel having the world's worst drivers. In reality, this is untrue. Driving in Israel is no more dangerous than driving in the United States, and in many ways is safer. Unless you are with an organized tour group or otherwise have some transportation arrangement, it is strongly recommended that you get around Israel with a rented vehicle, because public transportation in the country is difficult for foreigners to understand.
Steps
- Reserve a car rental in advance. There are numerous car rental agencies at Ben Gurion Airport. Vehicles of all types are available from subcompact to vans. Prices are quite reasonable, and you can choose from automatic and standard transmission for around the same price. Do not pay for insurance in advance - it'll not be honored. You will be required to purchase insurance at the counter.
- Make sure you have a credit card with a high enough balance. At least $2000 available balance is recommended, preferably a lot more. Most rental agencies will place a hold on your card of $1500.
- Obtain an international driving permit for each driver. Most agencies will not ask you for one, but it is still recommended you have it.
- Obtain a GPS navigator with Israeli maps. For any GPS navigating device, you can purchase a chip with the maps of Israel for a reasonable price.
- Study the Israeli road signs in advance. They are similar to European road signs and quite different from those in North America. But they are understandable to one from North America.
- Study the meanings of line markings on Israeli roads. They are likewise quite similar to those in Europe and quite different from those in North America. For example, in North America, a double yellow line divides the two opposing directions of traffic. In Israel (and Europe), and single white line does this.
- On a rural road, this could be a dotted white line, similar those that divide lanes of a highway in the same direction. As Israel drives on the right, stay on the right of such a road except when passing where legal.
- Know the meaning of some signs in Hebrew. Most signs are in three languages, but a few are in Hebrew only, particularly those pertaining to parking and safety.
- When you receive your vehicle from the rental agency, make sure you have a safety vest in the glove compartment. Israeli law requires this to be carried in your vehicle at all times. Rental vehicles generally contain this already, but double check in case it is overlooked.
- Once you are ready to hit the road from the airport, program your GPS navigator to your destination of you do not already know how to get there. Wait until you have exited a garage before doing this, as a GPS will not pick up a signal in a garage, and if you do in a garage, it may take a while before it works again.
- Understand that the first road you hit will most likely be a highway that will resemble an interstate highway in the United States. It could also be a limited access highway in Europe and many other parts of the world. Even in the absence of a GPS, you can start out by following the signs to the major city where you are headed toward (e.g. Jerusalem, Tel Aviv).
- Driving on one is no different than driving on one in your home country. Drivers are generally not super aggressive. There may be traffic jams at certain times, but at other times, they flow smoothly.
- Obey the speed limits carefully. Speeds are in kilometers per hour, and so will your vehicle's speedometer. In addition to officers enforcing speed, there are speed cameras in various places that issue tickets to speeders.
- Know the highways. Highways have exit ramps just like anywhere else in the same configurations. If your destination is reached by an exit ramp, your GPS will lead you there accordingly. There may be a traffic light, a stop sign, or a yield sign, depending on the location.
- In Israel, a green light flashes several times before it turns yellow. Once a light is red, the red and yellow light come on together several seconds before it turns green. Left turns can only be made on a green or yellow arrow; there are no left turns made while yielding to opposing traffic. And right turns on red are never permitted.
- Deal with traffic appropriately. On the streets of any Israeli city are a combination of calm and aggressive drivers, just like you are probably used to where you come from. Traffic may crowd up in cities. In all, it is very manageable. Once you do a small amount of Israeli driving, you will feel very confident.
Warnings
- Due to the nature of the political situation, you should not drive into Arab populated areas of the West Bank. Study the map to know where these places are. They are pretty easy to avoid if you know where you're going or pay careful attention to your GPS, and some GPS devices will have a setting to avoid these areas.
- Routes 1 and 90 alongside the Judean Desert, Dead Sea, and the Jordan Valley are pretty safe, though you must carry your passport when you travel in these areas.
- Routes 1 and 90 alongside the Judean Desert, Dead Sea, and the Jordan Valley are pretty safe, though you must carry your passport when you travel in these areas.
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