Drivers told to respect law<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The police have been told to get tough on traffic violators in an
\neffort to cut down on the number of accidents, many of which are
\ncaused by drivers flouting traffic rules.<\/p>\n
Theresia Kusumaningtyas, a psychologist at the University of
\nIndonesia, said on Thursday the inconsistent enforcement of
\ntraffic regulations was responsible for the increasing number of
\ntraffic accidents.<\/p>\n
\"Law enforcement, particularly punishment, will be very
\nsignificant in improving motorists' behavior and discipline on
\nthe streets,\" she said during a seminar on road safety jointly
\norganized by the Pelangi Foundation and Persada Indonesia
\nUniversity.<\/p>\n
According to data from the National Police Headquarters, 91.31
\npercent of traffic accidents nationwide were caused by reckless
\ndrivers. And 55.60 percent of those accidents involved motorists
\nbetween the ages of 16 and 30.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Police recorded 196 fatalities resulting from
\ntraffic accidents in the first three months of this year, or over
\n65 deaths a month.<\/p>\n
This represents a dramatic increase from the 40 traffic-
\nrelated deaths a month last year and the 31 deaths per month in
\n2002.<\/p>\n
The police's inconsistent enforcement of traffic rules has
\nproven an obstacle to efforts to improve the road behavior of
\nmotorists, according to Theresia.<\/p>\n
\"Motorists tend to violate traffic regulations because they
\ncan easily compromise with police officers in solving any
\nproblems arising from an accident,\" she said, referring to the
\npractice of bribing police officers rather than having to appear
\nin court.<\/p>\n
A researcher at the Transportation Infrastructure Reacher
\nCenter in Bandung, I Gede Wayan Samsi Gunarta, shared these
\nsentiments.<\/p>\n
He cited a recent survey in Cirebon, West Java, which found
\nthat 15 percent of traffic accident victims were pedestrians and
\n18 percent of the accidents occurred in crosswalks.<\/p>\n
\"It shows motorists not only violate traffic regulations but
\nalso ignore road discipline. It is very embarrassing.\"<\/p>\n
Wayan pointed to the fact that many young drivers frequently
\nexceeded the speed limit, as did public transportation drivers,
\nignoring the safety of their fellow motorists.<\/p>\n
\"We call on public transportation drivers, who tend to speed
\neven though they are aware of the danger that poses to their
\npassengers, to slow down,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The poor condition of the roads, traffic lights and traffic
\nsigns also contribute to traffic accidents, he said.<\/p>\n
\"This is particularly due to the lack of coordination between
\nthe concerned agencies.\"<\/p>\n
The City Public Works Agency is responsible for road
\nconstruction and maintenance, while the City Transportation
\nAgency is responsible for the procurement and maintenance of
\ntraffic signs and traffic lights. The two agencies often blame
\neach other whenever a problem occurs, he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/drivers-told-to-respect-law-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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