Easy riders oblivious to dangers on the road
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
If you take time out to question Jakarta motorcyclists about their driving skills, there's a fair chance you might decide never to set foot on the road again!
Just ask them how many traffic accidents they have per year.
"Lots. I've an accident at least once or twice a year. But it doesn't worry me at all," said Sammy, 26, a resident of Pamulang in Tangerang who was visiting the Jakarta Motorcycle and Motor Show 2002 at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) recently.
Sammy remarked that he preferred driving a motorcycle to a car due to the greater freedom afforded him by a motorcycle.
"I can stop wherever I want or park up at a coffee stall to take rest. It's not so easy if I'm driving a car," Sammy said.
He added that he often wears his helmet incorrectly to enable him to smoke while riding his bike.
Cipto, 30, who works as a motorcycle delivery boy, revealed that he also has an accident at least once a year.
"I normally have accidents in the afternoon when I am exhausted after driving all day long," Cipto said.
Because of his job, Cipto has to ride his motorcycle for more than 10 hours a day.
Cipto, however, claimed that safety was not his prime concern.
He admitted that he often carried big packages on his motorcycle, oblivious to the danger of being hit in the capital's crowded streets.
He also revealed that he often took his wife and two-year-old son on his bike without their wearing protective clothing.
"It depends on the destination. We don't use the helmets if the destination is near. Otherwise, we'll use the helmets, but not my son as we don't have a small helmet for him," he said.
Road users ignorance of safety coupled with their tendency to break traffic regulations are the main causes of traffic accidents in the city.
Every month, the police officially record more than 10 accidents on the city's streets, mostly involving motorcyclists. The real number of accidents is, of course, much greater as many are not reported.
Despite the obvious dangers, motorcycles are still the preferred transportation alternative on Jakarta's notoriously clogged highways and byways.
It is common here to see motorcyclists driving the wrong way down one-way streets, driving up on the sidewalks and ignoring traffic signs in order to get to their destinations more quickly.
Meanwhile, Rudy Parman, 35, revealed that his children often want to sit in front of him while he rides his motorcycle so as to enjoy the view better.
"They often fight to get sitting up front. I never tell them that it's dangerous," Rudy said.
By sitting at the front, the children are even more exposed to danger than ever.
The latest fatal motorcycle accident occurred two months ago. Muhammad Aditya, a two-year-old child was run over by a bus after falling off a motorcycle driven by his brother-in-law Herman, 17. Muhammad fell after the bike was sideswiped by the bus.