One killed in illegal drag race

One killed in illegal drag race

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid the police ban on drag races due to safety concerns, the
combination of extreme speed and gambling highs took its toll in
the wee hours on Saturday.

Ahmad Faisal, 20, died instantly after the motorcycle he was
riding hit the curb in front of the Jakarta Fairground in
Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, one of the regular drag racing
"tracks" in the city.

Ahmad, a resident of Bekasi Barat, was racing with his friends
within the vicinity of the Jakarta Fairground.

He apparently lost control of his motorcycle and hit the curb
just as two policemen were driving towards them to stop the
racers. Faisal died at the scene.

Last week, 21-year-old Dwi Karno broke his ankle when he hit a
police patrol car on Jl. Benyamin Sueb, Kemayoran, which was
trying to disperse a drag race.

City Police traffic chief Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Ishak recently
said police had been intensifying their watch on several
locations where such races regularly took place.

He said police had identified 13 such locations in the city
and had deployed more personnel to stake out the spots after
midnight, especially on weekends.

The locations include Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Jl. Arteri
Pondok Indah, Jl. Casablanca and Jl. T..B Simatupang, all in
South Jakarta, and Jl. Puri Kembangan, West Jakarta.

The drag racers are in violation of the 1992 Traffic Law for
using the road for purposes outside of regulations. If convicted,
a drag racer may face a maximum sentence of up to one month in
jail or Rp 1 million (US$117.65) in fine.

However, such cases are hardly ever brought to court because
patrolling police tend only to disperse the drag racers and
spectators.