Human error remains prime cause of accidents
JAKARTA (JP): A leading traffic expert is calling on traffic authorities to issue "temporary" drivers' licenses for new drivers so that their driving abilities can be tested before they receive permanent licenses.
The chairman of the Institute for Traffic and Transportation Development Indonesia, Brig. Gen (ret.) Untung Margono, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the human factor remains a primary cause behind the large number of traffic accidents occurring in Jakarta.
"We can assume that the majority of traffic accidents are caused by human error," he said, calling on tighter control on those behind the steering wheel.
He said measures should include the issuance of temporary drivers licenses to control drivers and an effort to study whether certain drivers are accident prone.
"By issuing a one-year temporary drivers' license, we can gauge the true capability of the aspiring driver. If later, he or she is found to be satisfactory then he or she is entitled to receive a permanent license," Untung said.
Untung, a former police director of traffic, also called for tighter control of permits for driving schools.
"The driving schools must meet a particular standard," he said.
The current procedures for acquiring a license are too easy, adding that many drivers in the past have acquired their licenses through illicit means, including bribing the police officers in charge.
With nearly 2 million registered vehicles, Jakarta has one of the most serious traffic problems in the world, contributing to the thousands of accidents occurring in the city's streets every year.
Untung said that the most immediate remedy to the dangerous traffic situation would be to discipline and educate the bus drivers, since they are directly responsible for hundreds of lives daily.
He also referred to several bad habits that could potentially impair a person's driving capabilities while on the road.
He said that one of the most precarious habits is smoking, which can be dangerous because it reduces a driver's alertness.
When a driver is drowsy, he usually fights it by smoking a cigarette."This is completely wrong since the presence of carbon monoxide in the smoke only serves to reduce vision," Untung said.
Holidays
Untung commented that holiday seasons, such as the Islamic Idul Fitri celebrations, are a time of acute increases in the number of traffic accidents .
During Idul Fitri, the demand for transportation is so high that many times unexperienced drivers unfamiliar with the road conditions must take the wheel.
Over 12 million people commuted during the Idul Fitri holiday season last March, of which 9.1 million traveled by buses.
The mass exodus brought a death toll of 186 people and about 400 injuries from 294 accidents. This year's figure was higher than during the 1993 Idul Fitri holidays in which 165 people were killed in 130 road accidents.(mds)