Analyst: East Bekasi KRL Incident Reflects a Failed Safety System
JAKARTA - The train accident incident that occurred in the East Bekasi area serves as a loud alarm for the governance of transportation safety in Indonesia. This event is viewed not merely as an ordinary accident, but as a reflection of the fragility of the state’s protection of its people on the roads. Chairman of the Road Safety Association (RSA) Supervisory Board, Rio Octaviano, stated that this tragic incident must be seen as a failure of the state in providing layered protection for the community. Although the car stopped in the middle of the crossing can be categorised as human error, Rio emphasised that a good system should be able to prevent such errors from becoming a fatality. According to him, the Safe System Approach concept should ensure that the system is still capable of protecting lives even if humans make mistakes in the field. Rio noted that the government already has a clear framework through Presidential Regulation No. 1 of 2022 on the National General Plan for Road Traffic and Road Transport Safety (RUNK LLAJ). This regulation includes five safety pillars involving various agencies, from Bappenas, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), the Ministry of Transportation, the National Police Traffic Directorate (Korlantas Polri), to the Ministry of Health. “Indonesia does not lack regulations or division of authority. However, the facts on the ground show that the system, which should provide layered protection to the community, is not running as it should,” said Rio. Regarding level crossings, Rio emphasised that the rules are already enshrined in Law No. 23 of 2007 and Ministry of Transportation Regulation No. 94 of 2018. These rules affirm that safety at those points is a shared responsibility between road managers, train operators, and central and regional governments. For RSA, cross-sector coordination must be a continuously operating work mechanism behind the scenes, not just emerging as an incidental response when lives are lost.