Unfortunately, Being Exposed To The Cipher Story Of The Cipali Toll Road Can Increase The Likelihood Of Accidents

JAKARTA - The accident that occurred at the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road is often associated with mystical things. One of them is the story of Batu Bleneng which is said to be indestructible and often asks for sacrifices. Unfortunately, psychologically too much exposure to such haunted stories can increase the likelihood of accidents.

Yesterday, an accident on the Cipali Km 184 Toll Road killed eight people while 15 were injured. The incident occurred at 03.10 WIB.

The accident occurred when an elf vehicle crossed the lane barrier and hit the Toyota Rush from the opposite direction. Based on the location of the incident, the West Java Regional Police Chief Inspector General Pol Rudy Surahriadi was suspected of being because the minibus driver was sleepy and was driving at high speed.

About two km from the crash site, precisely at km 182 Tol Cipali, there is a large rock called Bleneng. The existence of the stone is often associated with a mystical story on the Cipali toll road. Many believe that there are spirits who inhabit the stone.

Some of the stories circulating are related to toll road construction. One of the residents around Hadi, as quoted by Okezone, told of a toll road worker who died when he was assigned to destroy Batu Bleneng using heavy equipment. As a result, the toll road has to be diverted.

"Back then there was a Beko driver who died. At that time he was ordered to destroy it (Batu Bleneng)," said Hadi.

This story had spread in the community. And not a few also believe in this.

However, the story is not completely true. Regarding the construction of toll roads, when viewed from the map, it appears that there are some drastic turns.

In fact, the Cipali Toll Road can be made straight. But it was not because of the untouchable Batu Blenengan, but because of a request from an Islamic boarding school.

"If you pay attention, the road should be straight, but there are pesanten there. Previously, when the design was made, it avoided that," said Deputy Director of PT Lintas Marga who manages the Cipali Toll Road, Hudaya Arianto, when interviewed by Detik five years ago.

Hudaya explained that he has nothing to do with mystical or magical things, especially with the Bleneng stone. The shift in lanes became a turn because the pesantren did not want to be given a profit. Finally the line was turned. "At the request of residents and local government," he said.

Based on the story circulating in the community, the stone is a relic of ancient people. Inanimate objects were deliberately put there because they closed a spring which could create a big flood in the area. In other words, some residents considered the stone a "guard" of the surrounding area.

Then as there were many accidents on the Cipali Toll Road, many people connected with mystical stories. Some believe that the "watchman" of Batu Blendengan is indeed looking for 100 sacrifices because they have disturbed the residence of these supernatural beings.

It is undeniable that belief in mystical things can influence human behavior. In psychology studies, according to Tarumanegara University Psychology Lecturer Yohanes Budiarto, this phenomenon is known as illussory correlation.

"This phenomenon refers to a person's belief that something is related to something else even though rationally it is irrational. However, this can reduce anxiety and increase self-confidence or self-confidence," Yohanes told VOI today.

According to Yohanes, belief in a mystical figure in an object is a cognitive shortcut to make it easier for humans to manage their behavior. Occult calls such as "be careful at the corner of X street there are 'waiters', don't forget to turn on the horn," said Yohanes, which tends to affect concentration when someone is driving.

This condition, according to Yohanes, "In fact increases the likelihood of vehicle accidents in the area. Drivers in the surrounding area will further increase the sensitivity and awareness of this myth compared to the detailed characteristics of the roads they pass," he said.

In addition, this belief also increases anxiety when driving in a region known to be haunted. "Finally, it has an impact on the lack of motor control while driving," said Yohanes.

Not only causes anxiety, but believing in the occult that many people talk about also has a hopeful effect. No doubt, there are people who expect the appearance of a "watchman" figure in the region so that attention to the road is reduced.

"As a result, accidents are very likely to occur. In the end, the illusory correlation is getting stronger and it is trusted by many people who pass on the road," said Yohanes.

However, from the official data on the Cipali Toll Road accident report, nothing has ever been reported as a result of a mystical illusion. Most accidents occur due to human error.

The accident rate on the Cipali Toll Road is quite high. According to General Manager Operation of PT Lintas Marga Sedaya (LMS) Suyitno, quoted by Detik, throughout 2019 alone 634 accidents were recorded. A total of 51 people died from the total incidents.

However, accident data continues to decline. In 2016 the total accidents on the Cipali Toll Road were 1,282. Then in 2017 there were 1,381 accidents, 2018 there were 1,197 accidents.

Many factors cause fatal accidents, said Suyitno. For example, a rear collision, a vehicle crossing into another lane, broken tires, drowsiness and others. The back hit is one of the accidents with the most deaths.

Meanwhile in 2020, similar accidents that happened like yesterday have occurred 11 times. "On the Cipali Toll, the information I received was that in 2020 11 accidents had crossed, meaning that from line A to B and vice versa," said the Director of Law Enforcement of the Traffic Corps at National Police Headquarters, Brigadier General Kushariyanto, as quoted by Antara.

Kushariyanto explained that along the Cipali route, the separation of lines A and B is only limited to a basin. As a result, accidents with the changing lane model often occur and can cause many victims. For this reason, his party appealed to the Cipali Toll Road operator to immediately make lane separation boundaries such as the Cikampek Toll Road.

"If there is a separation in the middle it can at least hamper it. For that, we appeal to the toll road operators to build a road separation," said Kushariyanto.