Be careful, govt tells holiday motorists

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Transportation has warned motorists to be extra careful when driving to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri after the high number of deadly road accidents recently.

According to ministry data, the number of holiday road accidents nationwide from the seven days until Tuesday has reached 88 cases, in which 40 people died and 152 were injured.

Sixty-two accidents occurred on toll roads, with 35 deaths, while the remainder occurred on normal roads and streets.

That number is significantly higher than last year's 42 accidents with 24 deaths and 105 people injured for the same period.

Some 16.9 million people are estimated to be traveling home this year to celebrate Idul Fitri on Thursday, a 7 percent increase from 15.8 million last year.

The ministry predicts there will be about a 50 percent increase in the number of motorists leaving the capital this year to around 450,000. -- detik.com