Road accidents on the rise in 1996
JAKARTA (JP): The number of reported road accidents in the capital increased this year to 1,364, up from 1,123 in 1995.
City police figures also show that 563 people died on the roads this year, compared to 462 last year. Similar to last year, when 786 were seriously injured, 771 this year suffered serious accident inflicted wounds. Material losses reached Rp 1.69 billion (US$704,116).
The worst accident occurred on March 23, when 29 passengers were killed in a Kramatdjati bus that caught fire after colliding with several other cars on the Jagorawi toll road. All 29 were killed instantly, as were two people whose car was parked on the side of the road when it was hit by the bus. Dozens were injured.
Like many other inter-city buses, the Kramatdjati bus did not have an emergency exit. The passengers trampled each other in a frantic rush to the only exit, which could only be opened by pressing a button next to the driver if the ignition was on. The bus driver, Agus Arifin, had already climbed out of the driver's exit.
He was charged with reckless driving leading to the loss of life, and also for taking illegal barbiturates before the fatal trip. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Maybe some of the blame should have been shared by the drivers of the three cars parked on the tollway shoulder. Two vehicles were waiting for the driver of another car to fill his radiator with water. They were all together -- a group of police officers and their families -- on their way to a picnic.
Regardless of whose fault it was, not even the loss of so many lives, including two children, was enough to whip bus company owners into action. Most could only come up with excuses when asked why they did not have proper safety devices in their buses, and many could not even say for sure if they would install any.
They said they were not aware of the 1994 Traffic Law, which stipulates that all public transport vehicles must have emergency exits and certain safety devices.
Some owners said they were reluctant to install safety devices because passengers sometimes press emergency buttons for fun and open doors on the freeway.
At least one company, CV Lorena Transport and Tour, has taken heed of the Kramatdjati accident and begun installing emergency exits and surveillance devices for its 200-strong fleet.
As for air-conditioned city buses, the bus owners have gone to great lengths to include warnings such as Pecahkan kaca dalam keadaan darurat (Smash window in case of emergency) but have failed to provide anything to break the windows.
In an effort to enforce the 1994 Traffic Law, police launched several operations in 1996. The effectiveness of the operations, however, was minimal due to the little trust that the public places in its officials, many of whom can still be "persuaded" to be lenient for a price.
The core of the problem, say road safety researchers at the Ministry of Public Works, is low safety awareness. Poor awareness is still the main traffic killer in the country, which sees an average of 10,000 accidents a year.
Traffic experts from Sweden, who shared their experience with traffic police and other experts here, said promoting safety awareness among road users, road builders and road planners takes time and that "sacrifices" are to be expected.
Holidays were again a peak accident time. Twenty were killed and at least nine were injured in separate accidents during the Idul Fitri holidays in February, when the city's migrants rush home to meet relatives and then rush back to the cities where they work.
Frequent accidents on the toll roads show that most drivers have forgotten the requirements announced when the roads were first introduced. Few bother to check their wheels or engines before driving.
A representative for the state-run highway corporation, PT Jasa Marga, said that more than 100 accidents took place on toll roads this year when the weather was fine; human error, including drowsy drivers, were to blame.
On March 5, an overloaded bus overturned and exploded on the Merak-Jakarta toll road. Six people were burned to death and 37 others were injured.
On July 14, six were killed and 26 seriously injured when two intercity buses collided on the Cikampek-Jakarta toll road. The driver of one of the buses was reportedly drowsy, the other driver had been driving recklessly.
In October alone 14 were killed on the 73-kilometer Jakarta- Cikampek toll road.
Hikmat Iskandar, a researcher on road safety with the Ministry of Public Works, said most drive faster than the limit of 100 kilometers per hour.
During the upcoming holiday season, traffic officials say they will be watching extra carefully. Several areas favored by hair- raising speeders are: near Monas, the old runways around the Kemayoran fairgrounds, downtown Kota, Jl. M.H. Thamrin and Jl. Jend. Sudirman, and the wide roads around Kalibata, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and Pulomas.
Meanwhile, seat belt fastening is a habit that has yet to catch on. (anr)