Rules For Listening To Music While Driving, Is It OK Or Not?

YOGYAKARTA Drivers of vehicles, especially cars, often play music while driving. This is done with various purposes, starting from eliminating fatigue, preventing drowsiness, and many more. But there are also those who think that these activities are a bad habit of driving a car. Then how are the rules for listening to music while driving? Is listening to music while driving allowed?

Referring to the Traffic Law, listening to music while driving is not strictly prohibited. If you look at Article 106 paragraph (1) of Law no. 22 of 2009 concerning Road Transportation Traffic (LLAJ), there is no specific prohibition regarding music listening when driving.

However, the law explicitly states that everyone driving a motorized vehicle on the road must drive a vehicle normally and with full concentration. Unfortunately, the word "full concentration" in the law can be interpreted widely. This means that music is disrupting concentration for some people, and is needed for others.

Referring to the explanation of Article 106 paragraph (1) of Law no. 22 of 2009 concerning Road Transport Traffic (LLAJ), the full criterion of concentration is that every driver driving a motorized vehicle is carried out with care and is not disturbed due to illness, fatigue, sleepiness, phone use or watch television or video in a vehicle, drink alcohol, or take certain drugs that have an impact on the driver's ability to drive a vehicle.

In his own explanation, it is not clearly explained about the prohibition of listening to music when driving.

On the other hand, the Public Relations Division of the National Police in March 2018 made an announcement stating that it would take action against drivers, both motorbikes and cars who smoke, operate cell phones, and listen to music while driving. The announcement was shared through a post on his official Instagram, @polantasisindonesia.

"STOP!! SMOKING, USING CELLPHONES, LISTENING TO MUSIC, INCLUDING THINGS THAT ARE NOT NATURAL IN DRIVING," reads the statement in the @polantasiSINdoneSIA post.

In the picture uploaded by the @polantasisindonesia account, it also includes a reference for the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 22 Article 283 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation which states that every person driving a Motorized Vehicle on the road is unnaturally and carries out other activities or is influenced by a situation that results in impaired concentration in road driving as referred to in Article 106 paragraph (1) shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of three months or a maximum fine of IDR 750 thousand.

This means that smoking, operating cell phones, and listening to music are interpreted as a list of actions that interfere with the concentration of drivers while driving.

Apart from the above debate, listening to music carried out by motorbike riders is considered more dangerous than listening to music in the car. Usually motorcyclists will listen to music using earphones. This activity is considered to reduce the concentration and attention of motorcyclists to the surrounding environment.

In addition to the rules for listening to music while driving, visit VOI.ID to get other interesting information.