Driving Unaccompanied in Israel

This article addresses driving unaccompanied in Israel, when it is permissible, and when it is not.

Who Needs to Be Accompanied

Any person under the age of 24 in Israel must be accompanied by an experienced driver for the first six months after passing their driving test. During the first three months, they must be accompanied at all times of the day, but during the next three months, they only require accompaniment while driving at night (between 9 PM and 6 AM).

The person accompanying the new driver must be at least 24 years old with at least five years of driving experience or at least 30 years old with at least three years of driving experience.

Permissible Driving Unaccompanied in Israel

In order to be able to drive unaccompanied after the six-month accompaniment period, the young new driver must first spend a particular number of hours gaining driving experience with a qualified driving companion. During the accompaniment period, the young new driver must drive with an experienced driving companion for at least 50 hours, of which a minimum of 20 hours must be on city roads, a minimum of 15 hours must be on non-city roads, and a minimum of 15 hours must be at night. At the end of the accompaniment period, they must sign the statement on the back of their permit and submit it to the License Bureau in order to have their driver’s license renewed.

Impermissible Driving Unaccompanied in Israel

If someone is caught driving unaccompanied during their mandatory accompaniment period, they will be summoned to court. The punishment for a new young driver illegally driving unaccompanied often includes the disqualification of the offender’s license for at least three months, as well as a requirement to retake one’s driving test, and an additional two years in the “new driver” status (which means that any traffic violation committed in that period will be dealt with more harshly).

If you have been accused of driving unaccompanied when you were not permitted to do so, you should immediately contact an Israeli traffic lawyer in order to receive advice on how to proceed. We provide tips on how to choose the best traffic lawyer for you in our linked article.

Additional Articles of Interest

We have many articles on traffic law on our website, including legal assistance for a car accident, what to do in the event of a hit and run, compensation for damage in a car accident, drunk driving, driving without a proper or expired license, and more.