Reflecting On Accidents On The Cipularang Toll Road: Indonesia Needs Driver Schools To Improve Safe Driving Knowledge

JAKARTA The successive accident on the Cipularang Toll Road is an accumulation of chaotic implementation or governance of logistics transportation in Indonesia. Transportation observers also remind the importance of driving schools for prospective bus or truck drivers to increase safety knowledge in driving.

The accident on the Cipularang KM 92 toll road in the direction of Jakarta that occurred on Monday (11/11/2024) afternoon caught the attention of the public. How not, this accident involved dozens of vehicles that claimed one life and nine injuries.

Three days after the incident, the police have named the trailer truck driver with the initials R as a suspect in the accident. This was revealed by the Head of Public Relations of the West Java Police, Kombes Jules Abraham, at a press conference, Thursday (14/11).

The determination of the suspect against the truck driver was carried out after the police conducted a crime scene (TKP) using the TRAFFic Accident Analysis (TAA) method and checked the vehicle. The police said the cause of the successive accident on the Cipularang Toll Road was due to the failure of the brake function on the trailer truck.

"The brakes failed because they were loaded quite a lot, heavy enough that they hit the vehicle in front of them," Jules said as quoted by Antara.

However, the determination of R as a suspect was highlighted by many parties. Transportation observer Djoko Setijowarno urged the government and law enforcement officials not only to blame the driver. According to him, the behavior of the drivers is the impact of unclear government regulations.

Apart from the condition of the Cipularang Toll Road which is said to be risky, the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) has actually highlighted accidents involving trucks that continue to repeat itself. According to the Deputy Chairperson of Empowerment and Strengthening of the Central MTI Region, Djoko Setijowarno, an accident involving heavy transportation such as, such as trucks, often occurs.

Moreover, these trucks also often exceed the capacity or over-dimension overloading (ODOL). This accident, including what happened at the Cipularang KM 91 Toll Road, was the impact of the liberalization of goods transport which was all handed over to market macnism. For this reason, Djoko sees the need for a review of this mechanism.

"Traffic safety policies are often faced with other priorities, such as reducing low prices (tolerance on trucks of dimension and more content) to keep inflation low," said Djoko in a statement received by VOI.

"In developed countries, the market mechanism is indeed running, but there are still limiting norms, such as technical rules for vehicle safety and strict driver regulations. Liberalization is only on the imposition of tariffs while still meeting standards," he added.

In Indonesia, said Djoko, it imposes liberalization on the tariff side, while other safety standards and norms are ignored for the efficiency of cost movements. As a result, truck accidents occur in Indonesia almost every day.

The dtraillary truck that hit dozens of vehicles at KM 92 Cipularang Toll Road. (Doc. Jasamarga)

In his statement, he also said that the truck accident was ranked second after the motorcycle, although the number of trucks was less than the car. This indicates that logistics transportation management is still bad.

The same thing was also revealed by a transportation expert from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) R. Sony Sulaksono Wibowo. He said that the accident that occurred on the Cipularang Toll Road was partly due to the problem of transporting goods. Many trucks on toll roads that exceed capacity but are not monitored.

"On the one hand, considering ODOL as part of logistics, another look at ODOL is a violation. The ODOL restriction argument will affect national logistics has not yet been proven," said Sony.

Sony said the responsibility for accidents lies not only in truck drivers, but also in transportation companies and goods owners.

It is common knowledge in this country that to become a truck driver, as well as a bus, it only needs to 'upgrade' from a job as a assistant, so it is possible that they do not have sufficient knowledge and knowledge to drive safely. Simply put, they can only drive a truck and then serve as a profession.

Transportation observer Djoko Setijowarno said the government is obliged to organize driving schools for all types of vehicles. So far, only pilots, skippers, and drivers are required to go to special schools before driving planes, ships, and trains. Meanwhile, land transportation drivers do not have special schools.

"To be able to drive buses and trucks is enough through the handling into a kernet, starting from vehicle markers and washing vehicles. After being able to mark vehicles, then try to run trucks or buses within a limited distance, and so on," said Djoko.

This method must end immediately. The Ministry of Transportation together with the National Police can coordinate with each other to make driving schools for prospective public transport drivers," he continued.

Djoko explained, this is in accordance with the mandate of Article 77 (paragraph 4) of Law Number 22 of 2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation, which states that in order to obtain a driver's license for public motorized vehicles, prospective drivers must attend the education and training of public transport drivers.

After there is a driving school for prospective truck and bus drivers, all prospective drivers are required to attend the driving school first before obtaining a driver's license.

SIM can only be given to those who have graduated from driving school. As for those who already have a driver's license and have been running trucks, they are required to attend the Education and Training for at least one week to understand the safety and behavior aspects of civilized traffic.

Similarly, Jakarta's Founder Defensive Driving Consulting or JDDC Jusri Pulubuhu also said that many truck drivers and buses do not have sufficient knowledge of safe driving techniques.

"If the recruitment is wrong, it will give birth to drivers who are not qualified. Recruitment without training and development will have an impact on the quality of the driver," he concluded.