Jakarta motorists reminded to buckle up

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A man inside a luxury car driving past Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta quickly fastened his seat belt when a pretty woman approached his car and told him to use the seat belt.

"I was very surprised that a beautiful woman came and warned me to fasten my seat belt. I was in a hurry so I forgot to fasten my seat belt. I always use it as I know it is for my own safety," Haryono, 40, the car owner, told The Jakarta Post.

Warning and thanking drivers in several parts of Jakarta is part of a campaign organized by the Jakarta Police and PT Honda Prospect Motor on Thursday to commemorate the first anniversary of the mandatory seat-belt policy in Indonesia.

Police began enforcing the law on May 5 last year.

"This is part of our efforts to increase public awareness of the importance of using seat belts as many people have died in accidents because they don't use them," Jakarta Traffic Police chief Djoko Susilo said.

He said that although more and more drivers and front-seat passengers were using seat belts, campaigns to increase awareness were still very important.

Data from police revealed that from April 2004 to April 2005, 23,073 people had been ticketed for not using seat belts.

"However, we ticket fewer and fewer people now. I hope that this shows that people have already realized the importance of wearing seat belts," Djoko said.

Law No. 14/1992 on traffic stipulates that drivers and front- seat passengers are required to wear seat belts. Violators face a maximum fine of Rp 1 million (US$115.60) or one month in prison.

Although police have not studied the impact of seat belt use on the number of people who die in traffic accidents, Djoko believed that fewer people had died in recent accidents partly because more drivers are wearing seat belts.

Studies in countries like New Zealand, Germany, Japan and Britain have found that wearing seat belts helps reduce fatal traffic accidents by up to 40 percent.

According to data from the city police, 4,544 traffic accidents occurred in 2004 in which 1,146 people died and 2,632 were people injured in Jakarta.

"Most of them died because their head hit the dashboard. It shows the importance of seat belts," he said.

Almost 90 percent of private car owners in the capital have reportedly installed seat belts in their car while all taxi operators have placed seat belts in their fleets, police data confirmed.

"But installing seat belts in cars is different from using them every day. Many drivers don't use their seat belts. That's why I think a campaign like this is very important to remind us," said a car owner, Suparman, 35, who was happy to receive a sticker and a book on how to use seat belts from a member of campaign team in Senayan sports complex.

President director of PT Honda Prospect Motor Kenji Otaka said that Honda would continue to support the police in conducting campaigns so that people would be aware that using seat belts was very important for their own safety.