Victim numbers down for `Zebra'
JAKARTA (JP): The number of dead and wounded victims of traffic accidents in the city declined by 26.4 percent to 96 people in the last three weeks of the ongoing one-month Operation Zebra, a police spokesman said yesterday.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. K. Ratta said on Tuesday that the number the dead and wounded reached 127 victims during the three weeks prior to the operation.
The number of traffic accidents during the ongoing operation dropped 26.4 percent to 64, as compared 87 cases recorded in the previous period.
Ratta said the number of violators ticketed during the current operation dropped 7.6 percent to 16,678 violators, or 794 people per day.
By comparison police ticketed 18,095 violators, or 861 people per day, during the previous three weeks, he said.
"This figure gives strong indication that awareness of traffic rules has increased," he said.
Quoting data from the City Police Headquarters, the spokesman said, that of the 96 victims in the last three week period, 19 died, 56 were seriously wounded and 21 slightly injured.
The number of dead and seriously wounded, as well as slightly injured, in the previous three weeks were 30 and 67 and 30 respectively.
"The number of traffic accidents and ticketed violators were found to remain high in previous operations. But this time it seems to us that many people are more aware of the traffic rules," Ratta said.
The ongoing operation, which inspects vehicle and driving documents, carried out throughout the country, is scheduled to end next Wednesday.
Preparations
The operation in the city is carried out by a 1,500 member joint force, including personnel from the police, military, Traffic and Land Transportation Control Agency (DLLAJR), military police of the Armed Forces (POM-ABRI) and the state-owned toll road firm PT Jasa Marga.
Due to preparations of the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, to be held next month in Bogor, 30 kilometers south of here, a large number of the personnel are now being trained and deployed to help with security for forum delegates.
Only a few of the 1,500 personnel will be assigned to continue the operation which will mainly focus on city bus drivers, pedestrians, sidewalk vendors and offenders on highways.
Under the new fine scale, traffic offenders will be ticketed between Rp 15,000 (US$6.90) to Rp 150,000, depending on their infractions. Under the new ticketing system, suspected violators are required to choose one of three alternatives given.
The first option is that the violator acknowledges his offense and pays the fine at a nearby office of the state Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI). The second is that the violator admits his offense and is willing to attend court hearings and pay the fine based on the judge's decision. The final alternative is for the violator to deny his offense and attend court. (bsr)