Motorists told to beware as holidaymakers return
JAKARTA (JP): With the Idul Fitri holiday over, roads across the country are expected to be crowded in the coming week with revelers returning home.
Police urged motorists on Monday to be extra cautious to avoid traffic accidents on the busy roads, which saw an increase in the number of traffic fatalities prior to and during the holiday.
Central Java Police traffic directorate head Col. Utjin Sudiana told Antara news agency on Monday provincial police personnel would remain on duty in accident-prone areas as long as the roads were crowded with holiday travelers. He particularly urged drivers using the south-coast route and remote roads to be cautious.
Two deaths occurred along the main north-coast route during the holiday season, while the south and central routes have so far claimed 20 lives, including three fatalities during the two days of Idul Fitri celebrations on Saturday and Sunday.
The worst accident took place in Wonosobo on Wednesday last week, when a bus plunged into a ravine, killing 14 passengers. The bus, traveling from Jakarta, was two kilometers away from its destination when the accident occurred.
Another bus drove into a ravine in Banyumas later in the week, leaving two dead and 10 injured.
Utjin said most of the accidents were caused by human error, including tired drivers and inadequate knowledge of the terrain.
Central Java is a major destination for travelers celebrating the Muslim holiday.
Police in Balikpapan, a main town in East Kalimantan, reported two deaths in three traffic accidents during Idul Fitri.
Local police chief Lt. Col. Tommy Sagiman said the accidents took place on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Panjaitan and Jl. Cipto Mangunkusumo.
Tommy expressed delight over the small number of accidents and fatalities, attributing it to strict discipline by motorists and the police's preparation for handling the increased traffic during the holiday.
Police in the neighboring town of Kutai recorded four traffic accidents in the same period, but reported no deaths. The accidents included a bus loaded with passengers which overturned while descending a slope on Bukit Soeharto, leaving a number of passengers with severe injuries.
In Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra, three people were killed and 15 injured in traffic accidents on Saturday and Sunday.
A six-year-old boy identified as Aidil Darfani died after being run over by a truck on a street near his house in Mainan village, Musi Banyuasin regency.
A woman identified as Rosdiana, 51, a resident of Jl. Seduduk Putih in Palembang, died when her car collided with a bus on Sumatra highway. Another woman also killed in the accident has yet to be identified. The woman was about 48 years of age.
Ports, meanwhile, are also bracing for returning holidaymakers. The head of state-owned Bakauheni ferry port in Lampung, Djatmiko, expected the number of people returning to Java would peak between Thursday and Saturday. He estimated the number of ferry passengers would reach between 50,000 and 60,000 during the peak period.
Separately, the chief of Ketapang ferry port in Banyuwangi, Karimun Soedono, said the port had added nine ferries to help transport people traveling to Bali from Java. (amd)