Police ticket traffic violators

Police ticket traffic violators

JAKARTA (JP): Police have ticketed 6,674 traffic regulation violators since the new law enforcement system, known as Kawasan Tertib Lalulintas (Traffic Control Zones), came into effect on Jan. 1, on selected roads.

"Most of the people ticketed were those who disregarded street signs. That is 4,313 or 64.61 percent of the total," Col. Soeroso, chief of the city's traffic directorate, told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

He said bus drivers who did not close the doors of their buses while in motion ranked second on the list of violators.

Soeroso said, "There were 98 bus drivers who disobeyed the closed-door policy," Antara reported.

Others violators included motor cyclists who did not wear helmets, drivers whose vehicles failed to meet code standards and jay walkers.

Under the new system, offenders will be asked to appear before the court where they will be fined accordingly. The fine scale is quite harsh for the average motorist and has a maximum fine of Rp six million (US$2,745).

The controversial traffic law No. 14 was issued two years ago but was not enforced until Jan. 1 this year. Under the new law, violators must appear in court themselves.

Previously, violators were punished according to a lower ticketing fine scale, ranging from Rp 10,000 to Rp 150,000 per case and were allowed to have other people stand in for them at their trials. (bas)