Primary aims of Indonesia's digital driver's licence system

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian National Police’s Traffic Corps (Korlantas) continues to innovate to improve services and reduce road violations. A concrete step taken is leveraging technology through the issuance of a digital driver’s licence (SIM). This move is not merely following digitalisation trends but driven by strong urgency, from practical aspects to road safety. Korlantas Traffic and Licensing Director, Brigadier General Wibowo, stated there are two main objectives behind the digital SIM system. Wibowo added that with a digital SIM, the public can continue using their vehicles without fear of fines for not presenting a physical licence. The digital format is expected to eliminate common issues such as forgotten wallets or misplaced physical cards. As long as drivers present a valid digital ID via their phone, officers can verify it as a legitimate document. “Secondly, security concerns. There are numerous counterfeit SIMs that do not meet technical specifications, ultimately harming the public,” Wibowo said. Wibowo explained that those using counterfeit SIMs typically lack the required competencies. “For example, someone driving a truck with a counterfeit B1 or B2 general SIM lacks the necessary competence. This endangers other road users and can lead to traffic accidents,” he added. With the digital system integrated directly to the Police Traffic Management Center (TMC) data hub, document validation can be done in real-time. This move aims to curb counterfeit SIM producers and raise public awareness that holding a SIM requires actual competence.