Driving in Israel: Quick Tips
Aba and Ima, since you are about to rent a car...I know you wanted my driving tips. Given that I've gotten lost about 100 times, hit about 10 curbs, and gotten yelled out for turning right on red, I feel I'm in a unique position to really advise you about the ins and outs of the system.
1) People park any way on a street. It may look like a one way street but it's not necessarily. People park whichever direction they want.
2) Stop signs are a hand and small (easy to miss when you are used to the really big ones)
3) Lanes will just end...be on your toes...you never know when you are being merged.
4) Do not rely on GPS or Waze (the Israeli app that everyone uses). Always glance at a map before you leave and be ready to call cousin Yehuda at any moment. Waze is more reliable than Google Maps, but it's really good to have a back up to technology.
5) Sometimes they use watercolor white paint to paint the lines in the middle of the road...so you can't really see your lane.
6) when the light turns red/yellow, get going. Because a second later it will be green. And, if you wait approximately .00004 seconds or more after the light turns green, you'll get honked at.
7) People slow at flashing green (they treat that like yellow and often stop) and they definitely stop at yellow. This is so weird to me. Flashing green, I would naturally speed up and get through it before it turns yellow. They will stop. Be careful.
8) Never ever make a right on red, unless there is a separate lane with a yield sign that's already merging on to the road.
9) You'll have it easy becuase you won't be trying to read signs in Hebrew, while looking at your GPS, while driving, while having kids screaming in the back...
10) Most of all, if you see a sign like this, you don't want to go there. Yes, we drove to Efrat, a settlement on edge of Palestinian territory, and the sign reads something like "This leads to Area "A" under Palestinian Authority. The entrance for Israeli Citizens is Forbidden, Dangerous to Your Lives and is Against Israeli Law"
So, Adam and I went through.
Just kidding.
1) People park any way on a street. It may look like a one way street but it's not necessarily. People park whichever direction they want.
2) Stop signs are a hand and small (easy to miss when you are used to the really big ones)
3) Lanes will just end...be on your toes...you never know when you are being merged.
4) Do not rely on GPS or Waze (the Israeli app that everyone uses). Always glance at a map before you leave and be ready to call cousin Yehuda at any moment. Waze is more reliable than Google Maps, but it's really good to have a back up to technology.
5) Sometimes they use watercolor white paint to paint the lines in the middle of the road...so you can't really see your lane.
6) when the light turns red/yellow, get going. Because a second later it will be green. And, if you wait approximately .00004 seconds or more after the light turns green, you'll get honked at.
7) People slow at flashing green (they treat that like yellow and often stop) and they definitely stop at yellow. This is so weird to me. Flashing green, I would naturally speed up and get through it before it turns yellow. They will stop. Be careful.
8) Never ever make a right on red, unless there is a separate lane with a yield sign that's already merging on to the road.
9) You'll have it easy becuase you won't be trying to read signs in Hebrew, while looking at your GPS, while driving, while having kids screaming in the back...
10) Most of all, if you see a sign like this, you don't want to go there. Yes, we drove to Efrat, a settlement on edge of Palestinian territory, and the sign reads something like "This leads to Area "A" under Palestinian Authority. The entrance for Israeli Citizens is Forbidden, Dangerous to Your Lives and is Against Israeli Law"
So, Adam and I went through.
Just kidding.
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