The Central District Traffic Court has ruled that missile alerts do not justify extreme speeding, after a driver was caught traveling at 157 kilometers per hour in a 90 kilometer per hour zone on the Tel Aviv to Jerusalem highway. The driver’s license was immediately revoked for 30 days.

The driver argued that due to the ongoing war with Iran and repeated missile alerts during his journey, he was attempting to minimize the amount of time spent on the road and reach a protected area more quickly. He claimed he had stopped during two alerts but admitted he was not paying attention to his speed. The court noted he was not caught speeding during an active alert and highlighted his record of 16 prior traffic violations.

In its decision, the court stressed that speeding during an alert increases rather than reduces danger, warning that high speeds make fatal outcomes more likely. While acknowledging the current state of emergency, the court said it does not justify such dangerous driving and emphasized that serious speeding offenses can even lead to imprisonment.

Despite its criticism, the court reduced the license revocation period from 30 days to 20 days after considering all circumstances, suggesting that the emergency situation had some limited impact on its decision.