Be a defensive driver, say officers, expert

Be a defensive driver, say officers, expert

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the number of casualties in vehicular accidents has reached
about 10,000 people per year on average, or about 30 per day,
driving, particularly in hectic Jakarta, is more like walking
into war.

"If motorists wish to reduce the risk of road accidents and
create better traffic conditions for themselves, they should
adopt safe and defensive driving techniques," said Ahmad Yani,
head of the traffic safety division at the Ministry of
Communications.

He was speaking at a workshop on safe and defensive driving on
Saturday.

Also a speaker at the event, chief of the National Police
traffic division's law enforcement and education unit, Sr. Comr.
Triyono, revealed that in 2003 alone, 13,161 road accidents were
reported, resulting in more than 9,278 casualties.

"A majority of these accidents -- 91 percent -- were caused by
human error, mostly fatigue," he said.

Such a cause, and even technical problems like loss of brakes
or tire blowouts, can also be considered careless driving, if
people insist on driving even though they know they are already
too tired, rarely check the condition of their vehicles or push
them beyond their limits, Triyono said.

Safe and defensive driving is a concept recently introduced by
several driver training organizations.

The concept, as explained by Indonesian Defensive Driving
Center (IDDC) executive director Bintarto Agung, enhances
motorists' basic driving skills and knowledge of traffic
regulations.

"But maintaining a proper attitude on the road, like always
being able to control your emotions, and being generous toward
other motorists, is perhaps most important in creating better
traffic conditions for all," Bintarto said.

The importance of proper attitude on the streets was also
reiterated by psychiatrist Sarlito Wirawan, though he also
acknowledged that motorists here were still far from adopting
such driving attitudes.

"Realization and conduct still do not match -- what road users
know of traffic rules and whether they really obey them," he
said, adding that motorists tend to disregard traffic rules as
they consider "accidents happen to other people, not us".

And though acknowledging that proper education will be the
answer in the long run, Sarlito also proposed that strict,
immediate enforcement of the law be implemented.

Commenting on Sarlito's proposal, Ahmad said not all motorists
realized that traffic regulations were made for their own
convenience and safety, so there should be no need for anyone to
chase them to comply with such regulations.

"Regulations require parked cars to wait at least 25 meters
clear of intersections to prevent congestion, and at least 100
meters from railway tracks to avoid possible danger. But in
reality, nobody seems to observe them," he said.

I-box

What is safe and defensive driving?

According to Indonesian Defensive Driving Center (IDDC) executive
director Bintarto Agung, safe and defensive driving requires a
higher level of awareness and anticipation from motorists of
their driving conditions, as well as a better attitude on the
road.

Bintarto cited several techniques to improve motorist
awareness and anticipation:

- Full concentration when driving

- Always monitor the vehicle's 'blind spot' -- areas around a
vehicle that are out of direct and rear view mirror vision

- Keep a safe distance from other vehicles -- a gap of at
least two seconds from the vehicle in front.