Motorists told to beware as holidaymakers return

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)