Fatal Accident in Indramayu Kills 12, House Deputy Speaker: Pickups Carrying Passengers Are Illegal

A fatal accident between an open-bed pickup truck and a tronton truck on the Pantura route in Kiajaran Kulon Village, Indramayu Regency, West Java, on Sunday (12/7/2026), killed 12 people. Deputy Speaker of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PKB faction, Syaiful Huda, urged the government to conduct a total evaluation of the land transportation safety system and to take firm action against the misuse of goods vehicles for carrying passengers. “We all understand that pickup trucks are designed to transport goods, not people. When a goods vehicle is used to carry passengers, the risk is very high. If an accident occurs, the potential for fatalities is much greater because the vehicle is not designed to protect passengers,” Huda said in Jakarta on Monday (13/7/2026). The pickup truck, which was carrying more than a dozen people, was attempting to make a U-turn at the Kiajaran Kulon junction after returning from a wedding reception. At the same time, a tronton truck was approaching from the same direction, making the collision unavoidable. Huda emphasised that using open-bed vehicles to transport people is a dangerous practice that violates transportation safety standards, as they lack seat belts and impact protection. Ironically, he noted, this practice seems to have become commonplace in society. “For the sake of cheapness, our society often neglects safety factors that come at an extraordinarily high price. This situation must be our concern,” he said. The PKB politician urged the Ministry of Transportation not only to issue appeals but also to strengthen field supervision and intensify public safety education campaigns. He argued that collective awareness must be built so that people no longer risk their lives by riding in vehicles not intended for passengers. “Safety campaigns must be continuously intensified. The public needs to understand that using goods vehicles to carry passengers is an extremely dangerous practice. Collective awareness must be built so that safety becomes a shared priority,” said the legislator from West Java. In addition to highlighting the educational aspect, Huda urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the accident. The investigation must cover all variables, from the roadworthiness of the vehicles and the speed at the time of the incident to the adequacy of the road infrastructure around the U-turn location. “The investigation must be comprehensive. Everything must be revealed transparently so that it can serve as a lesson to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” Huda said.