73 Percent Of Accident Victims In Indonesia Is Motorcyclists, Three Ministers Jokowi Down To Road

Three ministers Jokowi took to the streets campaign for safety in driving. (Photo via Antara/Luqman Hakim)

YOGYAKARTA - Three ministers, Jokowi, took to the streets to campaign for safety efforts in driving. The three ministers include Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi.

They took part in the activity titled Road Safety Campaign which was held at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Saturday, August 27.

In this activity, the three ministers rode an automatic motorbike wearing a helmet and followed by a number of motorcycle communities. The route taken starts from the Grha Sabha Pramana area to BNI Food Park UGM.

"We know that this safety mandate does not belong to us, but belongs to the nation, coincidentally the Ministry of Transportation runs it," Budi Karya said in the activity, as quoted by Antara.

He said socialization and safety campaigns in driving must continue to be carried out, especially for motorcyclists. This is related to the number of victims of vehicle accidents in Indonesia, 73 percent of which are motorcyclists.

"The accident is 73 percent riding motorbikes and the majority of young people; with small steps to remind them hopefully it can be good," said the Minister of Transportation.

Meanwhile, Mahfud said the driving safety campaign was important because many human lives were wasted due to road accidents. He also added that there were more traffic accidents than COVID-19 victims and far above the average other disease.

"Therefore, we welcome the activities of the Directorate General of Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, which the state has assigned to ensure and maintain the safety of traffic on the road," said Mahfud.

UGM Chancellor Ova Emilia said driving safety was related to a person's behavior. As a majority of motorcycle users, he hopes that young people, including students, will voice their voices and set an example to the public about driving safety.

"This is a great driving safety campaign (held) on campus because motorcycle users are mostly young people," said Ova Emilia.