Study: Stability of Vehicle Braking Systems Saves 8,000 Lives
The Ministry of Transportation is open to the application of vehicle safety technology to improve road user protection and reduce accident rates in Indonesia, especially for motorcycles.
“The government supports all aspects of technology that promote safe driving, but it must be adaptable to developments in safety technology,” said Director of Road Transport Facilities and Safety at the Directorate General of Land Transportation, Ministry of Transportation, Yusuf Nugroho, during a discussion titled ‘Deepening the Substance of the Safe Vehicle Pillar for Small Vehicles’ as per an official statement in Jakarta, Saturday, 12 April 2026, quoted from Antara.
According to Yusuf, the presence of safety features on vehicles plays an important role in mitigating human error, particularly on motorcycles and small vehicles that dominate traffic.
Yusuf acknowledged that the current regulatory framework and policy direction still need to be translated into more concrete standards so that implementation can run optimally.
He assessed that strengthening those standards is important given that various studies show interventions in the vehicle aspect can have a significant impact on safety.
Based on a study by the University of Indonesia’s Centre for Testing, Measurement, Training, Observation, and Engineering Services (POLAR UI), Yusuf continued, more stable braking systems have the potential to save up to 8,000 lives per year.
In several countries, including ASEAN regions and India, motorcycle safety technology has been implemented as a minimum standard, while in Indonesia it is still in the development stage although the urgency is increasing.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Indonesian Road Safety Association (RSA), Rio Octaviano, stated that two to three people die on the roads every hour, the majority of whom are motorcyclists, thus requiring serious intervention immediately.
He highlighted the irony of accidents that often occur when road conditions are considered safe, such as straight roads, clear weather, and good visibility, which instead increase drivers’ overconfidence. According to him, such conditions show that accidents are not solely due to individual negligence, but reflect a safety system that has not yet worked optimally in anticipating risks comprehensively in the field.
Rio assessed that Indonesia actually already has a framework of five pillars of road safety in the National General Plan for Road Traffic and Transportation Safety, but its implementation is not balanced, especially in the vehicle technology pillar which has not yet run optimally compared to education.
Therefore, strengthening the vehicle aspect is seen as an urgent need to reduce fatalities, not replacing other pillars, but complementing the safety system to protect road users more effectively.
He added that a systemic approach like in the aviation and rail sectors needs to be applied, so that every incident triggers a comprehensive evaluation, especially on two-wheeled vehicles which contribute greatly to mortality rates.
“At the global level, accidents are no longer just accidents, but road crashes that can be prevented. However, in Indonesia, they are still perceived as something unavoidable. Therefore, strengthening safe vehicles must be seen as an effort to protect, not burden,” said Rio.
Road safety practitioner from ASEAN NCAP, Adrianto Sugiarto, mentioned that 46 percent of accidents in Southeast Asia involve motorcycles, and with nearly 40 percent of the ASEAN population, Indonesia is the largest contributor in the region.
“Changing the behaviour of hundreds of millions of people takes a long time. Meanwhile, lives continue to be lost on the roads every day. In this condition, technology becomes one of the relevant steps to reduce victim fatalities,” said Adrianto.