Improving road discipline

Improving road discipline

As a follow up to Law No. 14/1992 concerning traffic laws, a national seminar was held on Tuesday on the theme Order On The Road. According to the Director General of Land Transportation, Soejono, the government sponsored the seminar to obtain input from experts as well as from the public on ways to improve order on the nation's roads.

The government, through its various agencies, has taken steps to popularize the new law and to implement it. However, the measures have not as yet brought about any significant changes. At present, according to Police Director for Traffic Brig. Gen. Sumarsono, 65 road accidents occur every day, each involving an average of 27 victims.

It is ironic that the word discipline is so often spoken but so seldom practiced. It must be said, however, that after 27 months the new traffic law is hardly adequate to instill an adequate sense of discipline in Indonesian road users.

We would like to emphasize this point because disciplining traffic must begin with disciplining individuals. We know that everyone has been targeted by the various governmental campaigns. However, the effort to instill discipline in drivers, like any other campaign, must be carried out until the goal is achieved.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta