E. Java accident reflects ignorance and neglect

Danang Parikesit , Director, Center for Transportation and Logistics Studies, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta

Last week's accident in East Java which claimed the lives of more than 50 of our children is clear evidence of neglect and ignorance on the part of the government and transport operators -- and all of us -- as to the importance of safety in our land transportation system.

In the last five years, we have witnessed a dramatic decline in the passenger safety of land transportation. News of train collisions, trucks and train crashes, bus accidents, and pedestrians hit by cars and motorcycles is all too common.

Official statistics may show less accidents but the number of fatalities is increasing. Underreporting makes it difficult to assess the nature and magnitude of the problems. Out-of-court settlements, and distrust of law enforcers has contributed to the failure to deal with passenger safety.

Just two days before the accident happened, the Director General of Land Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation talked about vehicle inspection and maintenance. One day before, in Yogyakarta, where the unfortunate students studied, he met with provincial, district and city officials to emphasize the importance of safety in passenger transportation.

True, accidents are rare compared to the amount of traffic on our roads and railways. A recent survey shows that Indonesians make 6.5 billion trips a year, not including local trips, and accidents affect only a tiny fraction of this figure.

However this does not justify our negligence. The "as-long-as- they-are-not-my-family" syndrome is perhaps the main reason why most people treat accidents the way they do today, and perhaps will continue to do so in the future, if no action is taken.

Public education on traffic safety should be the main strategy as a long-term solution for ensuring better traffic safety. An illustration of the need for the right type of public education was the resistance to the compulsory use of safety belts from car owners and manufacturers.

Finally, the Ministry of Transportation delayed introducing the compulsory use of safety belts. Why was such a measure rejected, one which could save lives? Past experience shows that the government is not prepared to provide public education on such vital issues.

In developed countries, traffic-safety education is carefully and prudently designed for school children even as young as at pre-school age.

The School Safety Patrol is not yet designed to improving traffic safety awareness, but is rather designed to train young students to imitate traffic police in the area around the school.

The transportation available to students usually has the lowest quality standards. As students grow older, their perceptions of public transportation is that it is an unsafe, uncomfortable, low quality and polluting means of transportation. As a consequence, public transportation patronage in Indonesian cities is gradually declining -- jeopardizing the public transportation industry and resulting in losses and debt.

The land transportation sector is also an area of tortuous bureaucracy. The Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure is responsible for road infrastructure provision, the Ministry of Transportation is responsible for transportation regulation and licensing, the Ministry of Trade and Industry is responsible for vehicle standards and imports, while road worthiness is now in the hands of local governments.

Local governments are also responsible for controlling overloading in the case of freight transportation. The police issue driving licenses. All of the above arrangements are responsible for the chaos in the land transportation sector. In the case of accidents, one blames the other.

The lack of transparency and accountability in each department in the traffic safety chain is highly worrying. Illegal charges imposed on truck and bus drivers are common -- thus justifying violations of regulations among drivers.

The whole transportation industry is, in fact, very vulnerable to bribery and corruption, which further contributes to neglect and ignorance as regards passenger safety. For long-distance passengers and freight transportation, for instance, the tight competition in the airline business has forced user costs down, affecting the survival of the bus and trucking industry.

To survive, they have to cut costs -- but not the "hidden costs" and unnecessary costs. Service quality and safety are therefore sacrificed.

In the absence of competence standards, anyone holding a regular driving license for vehicles with larger engines can drive vehicles carrying paying passengers. Worse still, people without licenses are able to drive vehicles without being scrutinized by law enforcers.

It is high time for the government to make a concerted effort to combat traffic accidents. The formation of a traffic safety audit team -- consisting of the representatives of various ministries and departments -- should be the first step toward establishing standard operating procedures for investigating accidents and setting infrastructure and vehicle design standards.

This ad-hoc team should not become a superbody creating more bureaucratic red-tape. A blue print and a clear road map toward better traffic safety should be developed in consultation with all concerned parties.

Corruption-free inspection and maintenance facilities should be made a reality. The system should avoid direct cash transactions between vehicle owners and officials in the inspection facilities. Driving competence should be required to ensure that the liability of a driver carrying paying passengers is clearly defined.

Accidents never choose their victims. Whether you are rich or poor, driving a car or crossing a street, in a city or a remote village, you could be next. For governments, both central and local, the transportation industry, user groups and NGOs, now is the time to act!