Emergency posts for holiday travelers

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of emergency roadside stops, scattered across the islands of Java and Bali, will be opened tomorrow at midnight to repair travelers' cars that brake down.

Car distributor PT Indomobil, which has provided a similar service many times in the past, will provide round-the-clock emergency services until Jan. 2. Each of its 20 posts will be manned by six workers who will repair cars for no service charge. The only costs will be for any spare parts required.

The company will also open 10 garages 24-hours-a-day in the city during the holiday week for more major car repairs.

The emergency stops are located mainly along roads prone to traffic congestion such as the road to Puncak, a hilly recreational area in West Java.

Freddy Sutrisno, director of PT Indomobil, said yesterday at a press conference that heavy traffic in the Puncak area is usually the main cause of car damage.

Freddy said up to 80 percent of the damage during trips is caused by overheating engines.

He said overused clutches is the second biggest problem during long road trips.

"Many drivers who use their clutches continually in hilly traffic jams instead of using the emergency brake can wear the clutch down within two hours," Freddy said, adding that the third highest cause of car damage is worn-off brake pads.

He said 95 percent of the damage should be repairable at the emergency stops, as they will all sell suitable spare parts.

Other car distributors such as Toyota and Mitsubishi are also providing similar services.

Toyota will open its emergency posts, which extend from the southern part of Sumatra to Denpasar, Bali, tomorrow. The service will last until Jan. 2.

Mitsubishi will also open nonstop emergency posts at more than 60 locations throughout the country from Dec. 28 to Jan. 4.

Meanwhile, the chief of the Bogor Police traffic division, Maj. Wahyu Suhendra, said heavy traffic toward the Merak harbor, Puncak and Cianjur, all located in West Java, will start on the afternoons before Christmas and New Year.

Wahyu said that the traffic back to the capital will build on the evenings of the holidays. (02)