Public bus accidents increase marketly, police report says

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The number of traffic accidents involving public buses in the capital has increased this year, a Jakarta Police report says.

On average there were 28 accidents involving public buses a month this year, compared 18 cases a month last year, the report says.

From a total of 3,106 traffic accidents from January to Aug. 20, 229, or more than 7 percent, of them involved public buses, it says.

Eighty seven people were killed in bus accidents, 135 others were seriously injured while 141 people suffered minor injuries.

In total, 703 people were killed in traffic accidents so far this year, while 1,753 suffered serious injuries and 1,311 suffered minor injuries.

Last year, the city police recorded 227 accidents involving public buses. The number was lower than in 2002 where there were 217 accidents involving public buses, or over 18 accidents a month on average.

However, the police did not record the number of fatalities and victims in the 2002 and 2003 accident data that involved public buses.

Police said poor maintenance and the unroadworthiness of public buses were the main causes of accidents.

"Those who are supposed to be responsible for public bus maintenance, particularly the bus operators, mechanics and company management, did not do their jobs well. Some of the buses last had their authority checks in 2001," city police traffic division chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Naufal Yahya, said recently.

Law No. 14/1992 on traffic requires owners of public and freight vehicles to obtain certificates of roadworthiness from the transportation agency once a year.

Should their vehicles fail to pass the road check, owners must improve the condition of their vehicles before undergoing a second test.

The latest bad fatal smash in the city occured in August when a public bus driving from Bekasi to Kalideres hit another bus and a pickup truck on the Jakarta-Cikampel toll road. Fourteen people died in the accident and 33 people were injured.

Traffic police officers who visited the scene after the accident concluded a brake failure in one bus, belonging to operator Mayasari Bhakti, caused the accident. However, without a speed camera available along the toll road, police could not accurately determine the cause of the accident, they claimed.

The driver of the bus fled the scene of the accident and remains at large. Police did not hold Mayasari Bhakti responsible for the accident.

Police said the reckless behavior of many public bus drivers and the involvement of drugs and alcohol were other causes of accidents.

They released general data on alcohol-related accidents this year. There were 40 alcohol accidents from January to Aug. 20 in which 25 people died, 26 others suffered serious injuries and 22 suffered minor injuries.