"I've had that moment.
The traffic lights turned red. The foot was stepping on the brakes, the car slowly stopped right behind the line. The road in front was empty. There were no vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
Then, a motorcycle sped through a red light.
Followed by another motorcycle.
A few seconds later, a car passed by.
At that time, there was a temptation that many drivers might have felt. "If they dare to pass and the road is empty, why do I have to stop?"
I admit, the temptation is there. Not because I don't know the rules, but because I see others breaking them without consequences. When violations are repeated and considered normal, the line between right and wrong slowly becomes blurred.
However, the atmosphere changed instantly when there was a police officer at the intersection.
The motorcycle that was originally speeding immediately braked. The driver who was preparing to break through suddenly canceled his intention. In a matter of seconds, everything was back in order. Not because the lights turned green, but because there was an officer.
Sometimes I often ask myself. Actually, what we respect is the red light, or the police?
The question resurfaced after seeing a video of a Toyota Alphard driver who broke through a red light at HI Roundabout, Jakarta, then protested against the security guard who scolded him. The video triggered public anger. The police then intervened and the case was processed.
Many people see the incident as the work of an arrogant driver. It could be true. However, if we are honest, the real problem is much bigger than one person or one car.
Don't we also often see motorcyclists breaking through red lights when the road is empty? Isn't it a few cars that keep going a few seconds after the lights turn red? In fact, some only stop when they see the police standing at the corner of the intersection.
This means that our problem is not solely on the viral perpetrators. The issue is the culture of obedience which still depends on supervision.
Data from the National Criminal Information Center (Pusiknas) of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim Polri) shows this picture. Until mid-December 2025, a total of 1,107,735 traffic violations were recorded throughout Indonesia. As many as 42.14 percent of them were violations of heavy categories, including breaking red lights, against the flow, driving carelessly, violating speed limits, to driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. Violations like this are not just against the rules, but also increase the risk of accidents that can take lives.
Ironically, Indonesia is not lacking in rules. ETLE cameras are installed at many intersections. The fine penalty is clear. Criminal threats are also available in the Traffic Law. However, violations still occur repeatedly.
Hukumonline has reviewed that violations of the law often occur not because people do not know the rules, but because they feel the chance of being caught is small or the sanctions do not have enough deterrent effect. In such conditions, compliance is born from supervision, not from awareness.
Maybe that's why traffic violation videos almost always have the same pattern. When recorded by residents, the perpetrator panics. When the video goes viral, the legal process moves quickly. As if the cell phone camera is more feared than the red light itself.
In fact, the red light is not installed so that the police can easily catch up. The red light is there to give others the opportunity to cross safely.
Therefore, the question we must ponder is no longer why there are still people who break through red lights. A more fundamental question is, why do we only obey when we feel we are being watched?
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
