An accident, a ticket or a traffic indictment? First, do not pay.

Paying a ticket is an admission and a conviction, with the points that come with it. Administrative suspension, an accident file and a traffic indictment are proceedings with short deadlines, and most of what can be achieved in them is achieved in the first weeks.

Written by the team at the law office of Adv. Aviad Hayat · updated 1.10.2026

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For most offences you have 90 days from receiving the ticket to choose: pay, ask the prosecutor to cancel (within 30 days), transfer it to another driver, or ask for a trial. Doing nothing counts as a conviction and a sentence to the fine (section 229 of the Criminal Procedure Law). Paying means you are convicted, and the points are recorded.

Seven rules from the moment something happens on the road

1In an accident: stop, help, give detailsAn accident with injuries: stop, give aid, give your name, licence and insurance details, and notify the nearest police station at once (regulation 144). Damage only and the owner is absent: leave a note and report to the police within 24 hours (regulation 145). Failing to stop is an offence in itself.
2Do not give a version at the scene, beyond the details'It was my fault, I did not see him' next to the car is evidence. Give details and dry facts. The full version is given in questioning, after advice. Your insurer will read what you said too.
3Do not pay the ticket before checkingPayment is an admission and a conviction (section 229(h)). The points are recorded, and the conviction counts as a prior offence next time. You have 90 days. First check whether the ticket, the measurement or the summons is flawed.
4Photograph and keep everythingThe ticket, the hearing summons, photos of the car and the scene, witness details, the dashcam. Ask the traffic police for the file and the device data when the time comes. Without material there is no defence.
5Arrive at the suspension hearing representedAfter an accident or a serious offence the officer summons you to a hearing within three days and may suspend your licence administratively (section 47). The argument at the hearing, and an application to cancel in the traffic court (section 48), are the first chance to get the licence back.
6Do not drive on a suspended licenceDriving while suspended carries up to three years in prison (section 67), and depositing the licence is the condition for the suspension to start counting (section 42). A suspension that never "started" never ends.
7Count your pointsPoints count for two years from the offence, and four years if 22 or more have accrued. Check your status on the Ministry of Transport site before deciding on a ticket. Sometimes a 250-shekel ticket is the one that brings a suspension.

These are general rules. In the meeting we examine the ticket or the file itself, and what can be achieved in it.

The numbers that decide the case

190 days, 30 days, one year90 days to pay, transfer or request a trial. 30 days to ask the prosecutor to cancel. A ticket or indictment must be sent within one year of the offence (a camera ticket to the vehicle owner: within four months), otherwise the offence is time-barred.Criminal Procedure Law, sections 225A and 229
2The points system12 to 22 points: basic course and test. 24 to 34: advanced course. 36 and up: three-month suspension and a theory test. 72 and up, or 36 a second time within six years: nine-month suspension, medical examination and tests. On a points suspension you have 30 days to request a hearing.Traffic Regulations, regulations 544 to 551
3An officer's administrative suspensionFatal accident: 90 days. Accident with injury or damage: up to 60 days. Fourth Schedule offences (high speed, drunk driving, red light): up to 30 days. The traffic court may cancel or shorten it. The suspension lapses if no indictment is filed within three months, or no judgment given within six.Traffic Ordinance, sections 47 to 50
4Vehicle impoundmentThe officer may impound the vehicle for 30 days for Seventh Schedule offences, and 60 if it is the second time within three years. You can apply to the court to cancel, also when the vehicle belongs to someone else.Traffic Ordinance, sections 57A to 57C
5Alcohol and drugsThe threshold: 240 micrograms per litre of breath, or 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. For a new driver, a driver under 24, and a heavy or public vehicle driver: 50 micrograms and 10 milligrams. Refusing the test counts as drunkenness. Drunk driving: up to two years in prison, and a minimum two-year suspension (four if there was such a conviction in the preceding year).Traffic Ordinance, sections 39A, 62(3), 64B and 64D; regulation 169A
6The common finesPhone in hand: 1,000 shekels and up to 10 points. Red light: 1,500 shekels and 10 points. Urban speeding: up to 20 km/h over, 250 shekels; 21 to 30: 750 shekels and 8 points; 31 to 40: 1,500 shekels and 10 points; beyond that, a court summons. Non-urban speeding: the bands are 25, 40 and 50.Traffic Order (Fine Offences); Sixth Schedule to the Traffic Regulations
7The serious offencesCausing death by negligent driving: up to three years in prison, usually not less than six months, and suspension until the end of proceedings. Hit-and-run after injury: up to seven years, and up to 14 if death or serious injury resulted, with no option of a suspended sentence only. Reckless driving endangering life: up to three years.Traffic Ordinance, sections 46B, 64 and 64A; Penal Law, section 338

From 8.2.2026 tickets of up to 500 shekels move to an administrative route under the Administrative Traffic Violations Law, and from 8.8.2026 tickets of 750 to 1,500 shekels as well. A fourth offence within three years: double fine. The deadlines to contest are mostly unchanged, but each ticket should be checked by its date.

From the event to the judgment

Step 1The eventA ticket on the spot, a camera ticket in the post, or an accident. In an accident with injuries an accident file is opened, and the driver is sometimes questioned under caution the same day. The rules on the questioning-summons page apply here.
Step 2Hearing and administrative suspensionAfter an accident or a serious offence: a summons to a hearing before an officer within three days. The officer may suspend the licence for 30, 60 or 90 days and impound the vehicle. We argue at the hearing, and if needed, ask the court to cancel.
Step 3The decision on the ticket90 days: pay, request cancellation, transfer, or stand trial. We check the ticket, the device and the summons, and decide with you. A reasoned cancellation request to the prosecutor closes quite a few tickets without a trial.
Step 4Indictment or court summonsIn serious offences and accidents: an indictment in the traffic court. You are entitled to the entire investigation file. Someone who does not appear in a no-injury offence is deemed to admit the facts, and a judgment given that way can be set aside on request within 30 days.
Step 5Arrangement or trialMost cases end in an arrangement: a lesser offence, a shorter suspension, no prison. When the evidence is weak (faulty measurement, driver identification, uncalibrated camera) we go to trial.
Step 6SentenceA fine, actual or suspended disqualification, points, and in serious cases prison. The suspension starts only on the day the licence is deposited. In fatal accidents there are minimum suspensions that can be departed from only for special reasons.
Step 7AppealAppeal to the district court within 45 days. A stay of the suspension can be requested until the decision.

According to the police yearbook, about 980,000 tickets were issued in 2023, and about 164,000 cases were opened in the traffic courts. Most cases end without a trial, and what they end in is decided in the first weeks.

How a traffic case can end

Ticket cancelledBefore trialA reasoned request to the prosecutor within 30 days: a flaw in the ticket, a faulty measurement, another driver, special circumstances. If the prosecutor refuses, you have 30 days to request a trial.
Acquittal or dismissalIn courtAn indictment filed late, uncertain identification of the driver, an uncalibrated device, flaws in the investigation. In accident files: the question of negligence itself, and an opinion from a defence accident examiner.
Plea arrangementA lesser offenceFor example: from 'reckless driving' to 'careless driving', a suspended disqualification instead of an actual one, or a fine without points. In accidents: avoiding actual prison.
ConvictionAnd what can still be influencedEven after conviction: the length of the suspension, overlap with the administrative suspension already served, paying the fine in instalments, and the deposit date. All of it is argued and decided at sentencing.

Sources: Criminal Procedure Law, sections 199, 229 and 240; Traffic Ordinance, sections 36 to 50 and 62 to 67. In a traffic case the small details (dates, calibration, identification) are usually the entire defence.

What we actually do

A first checkYou send us the ticket or the summons. We check dates, limitation, your current points and what happens if you pay. We tell you honestly whether it is a ticket worth paying or a case worth fighting.
Hearing and suspensionWe attend the hearing before the officer with you, and if the licence is suspended, apply to the traffic court to cancel or shorten. In an accident: we request the investigation file and prepare for questioning.
In the traffic courtWe represent in every traffic court in the country. We obtain the evidence, check calibration and measurement, negotiate an arrangement, and go to trial when there is a basis.
Accident filesAccidents with injuries and causing-death-by-negligence files: from accompanying the investigation, through a defence accident examiner, to the sentencing argument. We have represented drivers in the hardest cases too.

The fee is set in advance, in writing, by type of case. A simple ticket and an accident file are not the same price.

052-642-4440

Questions we are asked about tickets and accidents

I paid the ticket. Can it be cancelled?

Payment is an admission and a conviction. Cancelling after payment is possible only in exceptional cases, by application to the court. That is why we check before paying, not after.

I got a camera ticket. I was not driving.

The ticket can be transferred to the actual driver within 90 days, by affidavit. A vehicle owner asked in writing to identify the driver must answer within 15 days. A camera ticket to the owner must be sent within four months of the offence.

The officer suspended my licence. What now?

We apply to the traffic court to cancel the administrative suspension (section 48). We examine the prima facie evidence and the danger. The suspension also lapses on its own if no indictment is filed within three months.

How many points do I have and when are they erased?

Check on the Ministry of Transport site. Points count for two years from the offence, and four years if 22 or more have accrued. From 36 points: a three-month suspension. A hearing can be requested within 30 days.

I had one glass of wine. Is that drunk driving?

It depends on the measurement and on who you are. The regular threshold is 240 micrograms; for a new driver, under 24 or a professional driver, 50. Important: refusing the test counts as drunkenness for all purposes. The device and the test procedure are examined in the case.

I was referred to the Medical Institute for Road Safety. What is that?

The institute is a Ministry of Health body that tests medical and personality fitness to drive, usually after a conviction for drunk or drugged driving, 72 points, an accident or a doctor's report. Its recommendation is in practice the licensing office's decision, and it can be appealed within 30 days only. It has its own page: "I was summoned to the Medical Institute for Road Safety".

I was in an accident and someone was injured. Will I be questioned?

Probably. In an accident with injuries a file is opened, and the driver is questioned under caution. Do not give a detailed version at the scene. Read the page on a summons for questioning, and attend the questioning after preparation.

Is there a risk of prison in a causing-death-by-negligence case?

Yes. The penalty is up to three years, and as a rule not less than six months, except for special reasons. In practice, the circumstances, your record and the sentencing argument decide a lot. In such cases the defence begins at the questioning, not at sentencing.

I missed the hearing. What happens?

In no-injury offences, failing to appear counts as admitting the facts, and you can be judged in your absence. You have 30 days from receiving the judgment to apply to set it aside. The sooner you apply, the better the chance.

What is the new administrative route?

From February 2026, tickets of up to 500 shekels are handled by an administrative traffic tribunal, and from August 2026 tickets of 750 to 1,500 shekels as well. The deadlines to contest are short, and a fourth offence within three years doubles the fine. Send us the ticket and we will tell you which route it belongs to.

How much does it cost?

You will know the fee exactly, in writing, before committing. Handling a ticket, a hearing and an accident file are priced separately. No surprises.

In the press, on traffic cases

20.04.2022 · MaarivIndictment against a motorcyclist cancelled in the Jerusalem Traffic Court 29.01.2020 · N12Ten years for the driver; the prosecution asked for 13 10.01.2019 · N12Dead Sea crash indictment: "Not as grave a case as first painted"All mentions, by date

What did you receive, and when?

Leave a number and we call back fast. You can photograph the ticket or the summons and send it on WhatsApp. We check the dates first, because in traffic cases they are decisive.