Traffic Ordinance [New Version]

In this Ordinance –

"driving examiner" and "vehicle examiner" – a person whom the licensing authority has authorised to be a driving examiner or a vehicle examiner, as the case may be;

"traffic court", "decision to impose a fine", "final decision to impose a fine" and "traffic violation" – as defined in the Administrative Traffic Violations Law;

"owner" – one of the following:

"road" – including any track, way, street, lane, square, passage, bridge or open place through which the public has a right of way;

"driving permit" – a driving licence granted to a young new driver;

"suspension", of a driving licence – disqualification from holding a driving licence until the fulfilment of a condition specified by the licensing authority in the suspension decision;

"bus" – a motor vehicle intended to carry eight or more persons in addition to the driver and designated in the vehicle licence as a bus;

"public bus" – a public vehicle that is a bus;

"public transport terminal" – a compound serving as an origin and destination station for a service line or serving as a transit point for passengers between one service line and another;

"Administrative Traffic Violations Law" – the Administrative Traffic Violations Law, 5784-2024;

"Express Lanes Law" – the Express Lanes Law, 5760-2000;

"operational parking" – parking for buses before their entry into passenger platforms;

"central station" – a public transport terminal with operational parking, enabling a passenger to connect between inter-urban service lines or between urban service lines among themselves, or between inter-urban service lines and urban service lines, and which is an origin station for one or more inter-urban service lines, and which may contain service facilities for the operation of service lines such as parking, fuelling, ticket offices, offices and the like;

"transportation facility" – a public transport terminal or a central station;

"service line" – the transport route of a public bus or taxi on which stops for boarding and alighting passengers are fixed, as set out in the service line licence;

"demand-responsive service line" for public buses or taxis, as the case may be – a transport route in a defined area of operation, in which stopping also at bus stops for the purpose of boarding and alighting passengers is permitted and which does not require fixed stops; the route and stopping points shall be determined in accordance with advance bookings by passengers, by means of a technological device, including a mobile application, all as set out in the demand-responsive service line licence;

"tachograph" – a device installed in a vehicle pursuant to the provisions of this Ordinance, designed to mark or record the vehicle's state of travel or standstill, as well as the distance travelled, the speed of travel and the driving time of the person driving the vehicle;

"taxi" – a public motor vehicle intended to carry up to ten persons in addition to the driver and designated in the vehicle licence as a taxi;

"speed-limiting device" – a device of a type prescribed by the Minister, which limits the speed of the vehicle and is installed in the vehicle as the Minister has prescribed;

"Director of the National Road Safety Authority" – the Director as defined in the National Road Safety Authority Law, 5766-2006;

"new driver" – as defined in section 12a;

"young new driver" – a new driver who has not yet reached the age of 24;

"vehicle" – a vehicle propelled by mechanical power or towed by a vehicle or by an animal, as well as a machine or installation that moves or is towed as aforesaid, including a bicycle and tricycle, but excluding a vehicle that the Minister has exempted by Order from all or some of the provisions of this Ordinance;

"motor vehicle" – a vehicle propelled by mechanical power of any kind, including a three-wheeled motorcycle and a motorcycle with a sidecar or with a trailer or without them, but excluding a vehicle towed by a motor vehicle;

"commercial vehicle" – a vehicle used, or intended for use, for the carriage of goods, whether for hire or in connection with the business or trade of the vehicle owner;

"work vehicle" – a vehicle on which work equipment is permanently mounted, or which is constructed for the performance of work, and which is not intended for the carriage of goods or the transport of passengers;

"autonomous vehicle" – a motor vehicle in which an autonomous driving system and additional computing systems are installed and which is designated in the vehicle licence as an autonomous vehicle, whether the autonomous driving system installed therein is capable of operating without an operational domain as defined in section 16d having been defined in it, or whether the said system is capable of operating only within the operational domain as defined in it;

"public vehicle" – a vehicle used, or intended for use, for the carriage of passengers for hire;

"private vehicle" – a vehicle that is neither a public vehicle nor a commercial vehicle;

"local train" – as defined in section 46 of the Railways Ordinance [New Version], 5732-1972 (in this Ordinance – the Railways Ordinance);

"fine offence" – a traffic offence declared as a fine offence under section 30(a);

"traffic offence" – an offence under this Ordinance and the Regulations, including by-laws made thereunder;

"cart" – a vehicle towed by an animal;

"guarantee" – a guarantee for insurance of third-party risks arising from the use of a motor vehicle, made in accordance with all the requirements of the Insurance Ordinance;

"policy" – a policy for insurance of third-party risks arising from the use of a motor vehicle, made in accordance with all the requirements of the Insurance Ordinance, and including a cover note;

"Insurance Ordinance" – the Motor Vehicle Insurance Ordinance [New Version], 5730-1970;

"traffic inspector" – a person appointed by the Minister, by notice in Reshumot (Official Gazette), as a traffic inspector for the whole territory of the State (hereinafter – the national traffic inspector) or for part thereof, including a person to whom the national traffic inspector has delegated his authority, by notice in Reshumot (Official Gazette), for the whole territory of the State or for part thereof, in respect of a particular matter or categories of matters;

"licensing authority" – an employee of the Ministry of Transport who has been duly appointed as Deputy Director General for Traffic in the Ministry of Transport, including another public servant to whom that employee has delegated his authority as licensing authority for the whole or part of the territory of the State, in respect of a particular matter or a category of matters; in this definition, "public servant" – an employee in the service of the State, an officer in the Israel Defence Forces or a person performing the function of such an officer, or an officer in the Israel Police;

"central signage authority", "local signage authority" and "traffic sign" – as defined in the Traffic Regulations;

"licence to operate a taxi" – a licence conferring on its holder the right to carry passengers by taxi pursuant to a transport licence granted under the Traffic Regulations;

"driving licence" – a licence granted under section 11;

"insurance certificate" and "guarantee certificate" – as defined in the Motor Vehicle Insurance Ordinance [New Version], 5730-1970;

"Traffic Regulations" – the Traffic Regulations, 5721-1961;

"the Minister" – the Minister of Transport and Road Safety.

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2, a vehicle owner who is not exempt from the obligation to hold a vehicle licence or from the licence fee, and who has not received a vehicle licence for a particular period, shall pay a compulsory payment to the licensing authority at the rate of the fee that he would have been required to pay for the licence or its renewal, for that period.

A vehicle owner applying for a vehicle licence is required, upon submission of the application, to register the vehicle at the office of the licensing authority, unless exempt from the provisions of this Ordinance regarding licensing and registration.

A prescribed fee shall be paid for the registration of a vehicle.

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 7(a), the licensing authority may, after payment of the prescribed fee, assign to a manufacturer or importer of a vehicle, to a garage owner holding a valid licence, to a vehicle dealer or to a vehicle testing laboratory approved by the licensing authority, a general trade plate that may be used, in the prescribed manner, for any vehicle undergoing testing after its manufacture or after its importation, or testing by a prospective purchaser, or after its repair.

"Licensing Law" – the Licensing of Services and Occupations in the Vehicle Industry Law, 5776-2016;

"accredited vehicle laboratory" and "security establishment" – as defined in the Licensing Law.

The licensing authority may grant a licence under this Section, and if the applicant is a young new driver – a driving permit, if it is satisfied that the applicant for the licence is qualified to drive the vehicle in respect of which the application was submitted and is not disqualified under the provisions of this Ordinance and has paid the prescribed fee.

"final judgment" – a judgment against which no further appeal lies;

"Drugs Ordinance" – the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance [New Version], 5733-1973.

A driving licence shall not be granted to a person who has not yet reached the age of eighteen years, except that the Minister may by Regulations permit, subject to conditions or unconditionally, the granting of a driving licence for certain types of motor vehicles to a person who has reached the age of sixteen; however, in respect of a driving licence for a private vehicle, a licence shall not be granted to a person who has not reached the age of 16 years and nine months, unless the Minister, with the approval of the Economics Committee of the Knesset, has prescribed a different age; where a doubt arises as to age, the licensing authority shall decide.

A new driver who has not yet reached the age of 21 and in respect of whom the period during which the accompanying obligation referred to in section 12a1 applied has elapsed, shall not carry more than two passengers in a motor vehicle until he reaches the age of 21, unless a companion is seated in the seat beside him.

The licensing authority shall record in a driving licence granted by it pursuant to this Section both the Hebrew and Gregorian dates of birth of the person to whom the licence is granted; however, a person entitled to receive a licence may notify the licensing authority, in the manner it directs, that he requests that only his Gregorian date of birth be recorded, and if he so notified after the licence was granted to him, the licensing authority shall issue him a duplicate licence in which only the Gregorian date shall be recorded.

The Minister shall prescribe by Regulations provisions regulating the grant of a driving licence, its renewal, form, conditions and period of validity.