7 hours ago
5
by: Aine Kusumawati*
Indonesia enacted stricter regulations after a traffic accident killed 54 people in 2003. But 20 years later, the roads are not getting any safer.
In the second week of November, a truck lost control and crashed into tens of other cars.
The video went viral of the container truck recklessly crushing 18 vehicles in Cipularang, Indonesia. It claimed one life and 27 other people, including the truck driver, were injured in the crash.
The news was particularly poignant, happening so close to the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims which was marked this year on November 17 and which aims to bring attention to efforts to prevent recklessness and improve road safety.
According to data from the Indonesian Traffic Police, more than 27,000 people lost their lives in road traffic crashes in Indonesia in 2023.
While this reflects a 10.7 percent decrease compared to 2010 figures, it's an 8.7 percent increase from 2019.
Notably, 78 percent of the victims were of working age (15–59 years) and 78 percent of the crashes involved motorcyclists.
Clearly further solutions need to be found to improve road safety in Indonesia.
Increasing the safety of motorcyclists
A big part of the problem the government needs to address are motorcycle-related crashes, given motorcycles are the preferred mode of transport in Indonesia not only in urban areas where traffic congestion is a constant challenge but also in rural areas.
Many people choose motorcycles over public transport in big cities because they are fast and affordable.
It is also common for parents to allow their children to begin learning to ride motorcycles as early as primary school, especially among lower-income families.
This has led to a high number of underage children riding motorcycles to school. Even among older children who meet the legal age of 17 years old to ride, many do not hold a valid motorcycle licence.
The high number of motorcycle crashes in Indonesia may be due to traffic rule violations stemming from a lack of understanding of traffic laws and safety.
For example, many people do not know that the speed limit in urban areas is 50km/h and in residential areas it is even lower at 30 km/h. Many motorcyclists in urban areas ride their motorcycles above these speed limits.
Research has found that the majority of people may have limited knowledge of traffic rules.
This conclusion was based on surveys conducted with 536 respondents, who, on average, could only answer about 50 percent of questions on traffic rules correctly.
The study also found that age, education level and type of driving licence significantly influenced someone's understanding of traffic laws.
Generally, older respondents, those with higher education levels, and holders of driving licences demonstrated better knowledge of traffic regulations.
High fatality and severe injury rates among motorcyclists may also be linked to not wearing helmets or wearing them incorrectly.
Many people still fail to recognize the importance of helmets for protection in crashes and some choose not to wear them when traffic police are not present. Even in rural areas, many motorcyclists do not wear helmets.
Another study in Bandung City found that while 70 percent of young motorcyclists wore a helmet when riding to school, only 36 percent wore it correctly — with the strap fastened and adjusted. This rate improved on the return journey, with 80 percent wearing a helmet and 63 percent wearing it properly.
However, helmet use among passengers (pillion riders) was even lower. When travelling to school, only 66 percent of pillion riders wore a helmet, with just 31 percent wearing it correctly. On the way home, 74 percent wore a helmet, but only 60 percent wore it correctly.
