Traffic Safety Only Achievable Through Collaboration of All Parties, Says New Kakorlantas
The Head of the Indonesian National Police Traffic Corps (Kakorlantas), Inspector General Wibowo, has stressed that realising traffic safety requires collaboration from all stakeholders and cannot be accomplished by a single institution alone. He made the statement during a gathering at the NTMC Polri building in Jakarta on Tuesday.
In his address, he reiterated the spirit of collaboration encapsulated in the slogan ‘all because of us’. “There is no success in traffic management because of one person, one ministry, or one agency. Success is because of all ministries, all related stakeholders, regional governments, including the community itself. All because of us,” said Inspector General Wibowo.
He noted that future traffic challenges will become increasingly complex. Indonesia is projected to experience a demographic bonus until 2045, with a continuously growing productive-age population. Meanwhile, vehicle growth is averaging 5 to 6 percent annually, a rate that road infrastructure expansion has failed to match.
This situation is further exacerbated by a low culture of traffic discipline among the public. One of the most complained-about violations is motorists driving against the flow of traffic. “Our society’s traffic discipline culture is still very lacking. The most visible issue and a public complaint is wrong-way driving,” he stated.
Furthermore, technological developments and high public mobility demand more effective, efficient, and accessible traffic services that still guarantee road user safety. In front of Traffic Corps officials and stakeholders, Inspector General Wibowo also expressed his appreciation to his predecessor, Inspector General Agus Suryonugroho, for laying a strong foundation for future traffic challenges.
As an initial step, Wibowo plans to immediately conduct mapping and surveys of several routes, particularly in eastern Indonesia, in preparation for the upcoming Christmas and New Year (Nataru) and Ketupat security operations. He expressed hope that the spirit of ‘all because of us’ would continue to serve as the basis for collaboration among all parties to improve traffic safety across Indonesia.