Thousands die on the road annually

SURABAYA: National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo said yesterday approximately 11,000 Indonesians die every year in traffic accidents, Antara reported.

"This means 30 people die every day," he said in a written address to a gathering in the East Java police headquarters. His speech was delivered by provincial police chief Maj. Gen. M. Dayat.

However, the figure has been declining by 7.8 percent every year for the past several years. The news agency did not elaborate, but added that Dibyo blamed the public's poor driving habits for the high fatality rate. (swe)