Victim numbers down for `Zebra'
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)