Java coast road claims 252 lives in 12 months<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java<\/p>\n
Road accidents along West Java's north coast road has claimed at
\nleast 252 lives in 221 accidents that also left 296 others with
\nsevere and slight injuries during the period from July 2002 to
\nJune 2003, an officer said.<\/p>\n
Cirebon Police chief Sr. Comr. Sunaryono said in his address
\nat the commemoration of the 57th anniversary of the National
\nPolice in this West Java coastal city on Tuesday that the traffic
\naccidents also cost Rp 1 billion (US$121,337) in material losses.<\/p>\n
"On average, 19 accidents took place every month, killing 21
\npeople and injuring 25 others. The monthly material losses were
\nRp 83 million," Sunaryono said.<\/p>\n
The accidents were due to motor vehicle and road conditions as
\nwell as human error, he said, "but human error was the cause of
\nthe greater part of the accidents."<\/p>\n
He also said that the presence of many street vendors along
\nmain roads also contributed to the accidents.<\/p>\n
The vendors, particularly on the eve of religious holidays,
\npack roadsides along the route from the Central Java-West Java
\nborder area of Losari to the Patrol zone in Indramayu regency
\nleading to Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"In the Cirebon area, vendors cause congestion in dozens of
\nlocations, which considerably hampers traffic flow and becomes a
\npotential cause of accidents," Sunaryono added.<\/p>\n
The police have strived to overcome the classic problem of
\nroadside sellers in coordination with the regional administration
\nbut they have not found a comprehensive solution in view of the
\nsocioeconomic roots of the phenomenon.<\/p>\n
"Owing to the socioeconomic factor involved, we have only been
\nable to reduce traffic jams by assigning personnel to regulate
\ntraffic flow at vulnerable spots along the route," he said.<\/p>\n
With regard to criminal cases, the Cirebon Police chief
\nindicated that motor vehicle theft and robbery had always been
\ndominant while drug trafficking, though prominent, had recorded
\nthe lowest number of cases.<\/p>\n
Against the corresponding period last year, the number of
\ncriminal cases in Cirebon decreased significantly from 1,233 to
\n1,081, with the rate of case settlement rising from only 57
\npercent to almost 70 percent.<\/p>\n
Attributing the high criminal rate in the area to the
\ntemperamental character of the people of Cirebon, Sunaryono said
\nthat police patrols and covert operations were being intensified,
\nbesides inviting public participation in controlling the crime
\nrate.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/java-coast-road-claims-252-lives-in-12-months-1447893297",
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