Seat belts a must in public vehicles<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): All public transportation -- taxis, mikrolet
\n(minivans), minibuses and buses -- must be equipped with seat
\nbelts in front seats by Sept. 1, an official said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Head of the City Land Transportation Agency J.P. Sepang said
\nvehicles without the devices would not pass the road-worthiness
\ntest.<\/p>\n
\"They will be given a temporary notice showing only that the
\nvehicles have taken the test. Certificates will be issued only
\nafter the vehicles are already equipped with the belts.\"<\/p>\n
Sepang said the requirement was made by his office in an
\nattempt to comply with the city's Sept. 17 deadline for seat belt
\nuse by all drivers and front seat passengers of public
\ntransportation vehicles and private automobiles in the capital.<\/p>\n
Legal sanctions come into effect on that date according to
\nArticle 23 of the six-year-old regulation on traffic and
\ntransportation, he said.<\/p>\n
Violators face a maximum one-month jail sentence or Rp 1
\nmillion fine.<\/p>\n
Sepang said he understood that owners of public transportation
\nvehicles would have to spend extra money to meet the regulation
\nwhile private vehicle owners would not encounter the same
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
He added that the vehicle registration office -- managed
\njointly by the police and city administration -- would start
\npressing the need for use of seat belts by private car owners
\nwhen the latter visit the office to process their vehicle
\ndocuments.<\/p>\n
When asked to comment on Sepang's order, an executive of a
\nminibus cooperative suggested the government should delay the
\napplication of the seat belt regulation until the monetary crisis
\nwas over.<\/p>\n
Secretary of KOPAJA Mocthar Sholeh said it was difficult for
\nthe owners to provide their buses or minibuses with the belts
\nduring the crisis.<\/p>\n
Mochtar said all public transportation owners were weighed
\ndown by the dramatic increase in vehicle spare part prices and
\nthe decline in the number of passengers.<\/p>\n
\"The price of a seat belt is perhaps only Rp 50,000 each. But
\nbuying the belts for dozens of our buses at the same time will
\nonly burden us.\"<\/p>\n
He also argued that seat belts were not a necessity for the
\nsafety of the bus or minibus driver.<\/p>\n
\"All buses and minibuses used as public transportation means
\nare specially modified. The distance and position of the steering
\nwheel and driver's seat are made to avoid the driver from
\ncrashing into the steering wheel during an accident,\" said
\nMochtar.<\/p>\n
\"I didn't say that we're against the regulation. It's made for
\nour own good. But, please give us time to prepare for it.\" (cst)<\/p>",
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