Safety is an alien word

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 03/21/2007 4:18 PM | Opinion

The record of transportation tragedies within Indonesia must be the worst in the world. The recent crash of the Garuda Indonesia plane in Yogyakarta showed the world yet again that the safety of people doesn't appear to be of any concern in Indonesia. Hardly a month goes by without news of a plane crash, or a ferry disaster or a train crash, so one has to question whether Indonesian governments have ever considered safety to be of any importance.

As well as these frequent high-profile accidents, everyday travel for anyone within Indonesia is a hazardous affair. It is almost incomprehensible and actually irresponsible that in Indonesia the insurance of buses, trucks, cars and motorcycles is not compulsory, which means that most road vehicles don't have insurance cover.

It's quite alarming that when talking to Indonesians, they appear to accept the dangers as something that is normal. Even in neighboring Malaysia, all road vehicles, including small motorcycles must have at least third-party Insurance cover in order to obtain a valid road license. By contrast in Indonesia, when serious road accidents occur, since there is usually no insurance cover, the victims of accidents rarely receive adequate medical attention.

An amazing fact is that in Indonesia, pedestrians believe that it is correct to walk on the left side of the road, in the same direction as road vehicles -- this is something taught in the schools! It's time that Indonesian children and the population in general are made aware that the safe side of the road to walk on is the right side, facing oncoming traffic.

The logic of this is simple; if a car approaching you is too close, you can see the car and step to one side. If, on the other hand, people walk on the left side, in the same direction as the traffic, the only way they could see a vehicle that is too close is if they had eyes in the backs of their heads! This is just one example of the many unsafe practices applied in everyday life by Indonesians.

Another good example of unsafe travel is the enforcement of the law on the wearing of crash helmets, since most of the helmets used are usually more like toy helmets, giving motorcyclists little or no protection -- the law should stipulate that only helmets that meet appropriate safety standards are allowed. The present government has at least made a start about safety awareness as it recently introduced the compulsory wearing of seat belts in cars. It's high time that the Indonesian authorities give more priority to the introduction of ""safety first"" into the Indonesian way of life.

LES BARCLAY
Medan, North Sumatra

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