Police to be soft on seat belt rule

By Reiner Simanjuntak

JAKARTA (JP): A regulation mandating the use of seat belts by drivers and front-seat passengers takes effect on Sept. 17. The ruling has been criticized, especially as its implementation comes amid the more than a year-old economic crisis which has sharply cut purchasing power.

Despite the public outcry, the authorities argue they have the safety of motorists in mind. Earlier this week The Jakarta Post interviewed Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang, 45, head of the information office of the Jakarta Police, who explained the approach to implementing the rule and its benefits to the public.

The following are excerpts:

Question: Please explain the new seat belt ruling.

Aritonang: The new seat belt regulation is contained in the Traffic Law No. 14, 1992, in which Article 23 stipulates that motorists are required to wear seat belts, or they could face a maximum fine of Rp 1 million (US$10) or a one-month jail term.

People sitting next to the driver are also required to use a seat belt, but other passengers are not obliged to do so.

As stipulated in Govt Regulation No. 43, 1993, Article 100, the seat belt requirement will be effective on Sept. 17, 1998. The ruling was made six years ago when nobody anticipated the current economic crisis.

Q: What about public transportation?

A: Many public transportation vehicles usually carry more than one passenger in the front seat next to the driver. This is actually against the law, which prohibits vehicle designs allowing more than one passenger sitting beside the driver. But considering the public's need for transportation, we had to bend the regulation a bit. So we're giving special consideration for public transportation, requiring only the driver to wear a seat belt.

Our main target is cultivating motorists awareness of the importance of seat belts.

Q: Will violators automatically get ticketed?

A: The public should not panic about this new ruling or the amount of penalties.

Socialization of the new regulation started five years ago when the 1993 government regulation was launched, and it has been intensified during the past three months.

So the public is expected to already have a clear picture of the importance of seat belts and the new regulation. I expect they will not be surprised when the ruling is implemented.

Nevertheless, the city police will not immediately give penalties to motorists who fail to wear their seat belts, but we'll act persuasively in enforcing the new regulation. We will prioritize efforts to increase public awareness.

We will persuade people, give information and warnings, and provide examples of the severe impact of a collision (upon motorists) when not using a seat belt.

Giving penalties will be the last resort. If possible we won't have to apply them. There's no need for any sanction if the awareness is already there.

So the public must not perceive that the new regulation will only provide police officers with an additional authority to ticket motorists. The policy of the city police chief is to prioritize developing public awareness that seat belts are for their own benefit.

As to when we're going to implement the new regulation with sanctions, we'll have to evaluate the new ruling first before applying any penalty.

Based on the 1992 law, any violation of the seat belt regulation can actually receive a penalty.

But we understand the hardships and the financial difficulties of the people due to the crisis.

But I... expect people to use seat belts even though we're not giving any sanction for violating the ruling.

Q: What about cars which don't have seat belts?

A: For cars which don't have seat belts, we'll not force them to install them immediately. There will be a grace period of two years.

So people don't have to be in a hurry to go to shops to put seat belts in their cars. It's better to concentrate their budget on providing food and other basic necessities.

Thus, the implementation of this new seat belt ruling won't be so strict.

Q: Even so the penalties seem excessive...

A: According to the law, the maximum fine is Rp 1 million or a one-month jail term. But the applying of any penalty in the Jakarta area would be based on that table of penalties on traffic violations, in which a violation involving seat belts is fined Rp 75,000.

The table was jointly developed by the courts, the Attorney General's office, and the police to provide standard penalties for traffic violations. So the public should not be haunted by the Rp 1 million maximum penalty.

But once again, although the penalty is not as severe as stipulated in the 1992 law, we're not going to apply it at the moment. We're going to make an evaluation first.

Besides, our main target is how to make the public conscious that the seat belts are for their own good. We don't expect people to wear them because they're being watched by the police.

The impact from not using seat belts in a car collision is much more (likely to be) fatal than when you're wearing one.

Research made by an international agency pointed out that a motorist driving his car at 90 km per hour without wearing a seat belt who braked abruptly or experienced a collision was the same impact as falling from a height of nine meters.

If the car is traveling at 120 km per hour, (the impact of the collision) would be equivalent to like falling from a height of 12 meters. You can just imagine the severity from negligence about seat belt use.

The other risk (of failing to wear seat belts) is loss of concentration when you come to a bumpy road in high speed because you would be severely jolted.

This could be fatal not only to you but also to other people walking or driving on the same road.

So fatalities could be reduced with the use of seat belts though I don't have the figures.

Q: Will there be a certain standard of seat belt to be used?

A: No I don't think so. The regulation doesn't stipulate any special standard requirement.

But the important thing is that the seat belt can provide security for the driver and the passenger in case of abrupt braking or collision.

Q: How do you rate traffic discipline in Jakarta?

A: Traffic violations in Jakarta are still high. This indicates that the traffic discipline of the people must continue to be improved.

We expect the public to consciously improve their discipline. If we have to resort to force to maintain discipline, the number of police personnel will never be enough to cover all street intersections.

Unfortunately, most people in this country only show their traffic discipline when they are taking a test to get a driving license.

In relation to the seat belt ruling, we're not going to stop cars to check for compliance, which will only create traffic jams. We'll only remind motorists to use their seat belts as they pass by. There will be no special troops for the enforcement.