Accident Rate Is Still High, DPR Wants To Tighten The Implementation Of Driving Rules

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JAKARTA - Commission V of the DPR encourages the Government and related parties to be more assertive in implementing orderly driving rules. This follows the high number of traffic accidents in Indonesia.

"We hope that the government and related agencies will be stricter in monitoring and implementing orderly driving rules to reduce the high number of traffic accidents," said Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the DPR, Andi Iwan Aras, Tuesday, May 24 in a written statement.

Based on data from the Korlantas Polri published by the Ministry of Transportation, the number of traffic accidents in Indonesia will reach 103,645 cases in 2021. This data is higher than last year where the accident rate in 2020 was 100,028 cases.

Iwan also sees the need for increased protection for the public in traffic. One of the efforts that must be considered is the enforcement of driving rules.

“Moreover, cases of traffic accidents do not take the lives of many residents. There were also quite a number of victims of serious and light injuries. The state must ensure that traffic accidents are minimized with more qualified policies," he explained.

According to Korlantas data in 2021, the accident rate that killed related parties reached 25,266 people with material losses reaching Rp246 billion. Meanwhile, the number of victims who were seriously injured in last year's accident was 10,553 people and light victims were 117,913 people.

Based on the type of vehicle, the highest traffic accident cases were motorcycles with a percentage of 73 percent. Then the second order is freight transportation by 12 percent.

"The DPR RI sees the need for careful regulation of the use of motorbikes on the road, considering that the highest involvement in traffic accident cases is motorbikes and followed by freight transportation," explained Iwan.

"Improving services related to road reservations and other matters related to traffic security and road transportation is absolutely necessary. Including in giving a driving license, enforce the rules the driver must really understand how to drive properly," he added.

Not only that, Iwan also reminded the authorities to ensure the normalization of motorized vehicles and the obligation to use proof of passing the electronic test of motorized vehicles.

Meanwhile, regarding the transportation of goods, which until now is still dominated by land, the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) is expected to take steps to anticipate traffic accidents.

"The Ministry of Transportation must also be firm on the over-loading dimension of goods transportation. Because not only can cause accidents, overcapacity can damage road infrastructure," said Iwan.

The legislator from the South Sulawesi II Dapil also encouraged the Ministry of Transportation to be more massive in socializing and implementing a safety management system for public transport and freight transport companies. Iwan said cooperation between related institutions was needed to support a healthy driving traffic climate.

"Let's jointly promote the traffic safety partnership program for road users," he concluded.