Motorcycle accidents push up holiday death toll nationwide

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 10/18/2007 11:08 AM

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The high number of fatal motorcycle accidents this Idul Fitri holiday has prompted a police call for special bike lanes along the nation's highways.

Head of the National Police's security supervision division, Comr. Gen. Imam Hariatna, said dedicated motorcycle lanes would reduce the number of bike accidents.

""Motorcycles accidents have accounted for 74.29 percent of the 453 people killed nationwide so far this holiday season,"" he told a meeting attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at National Police Headquarters in Jakarta.

As of Wednesday, police had recorded 1,286 holiday accidents throughout the country with 453 deaths.

Imam said most of the accidents were the result of negligence on the part of motorcycle users.

He said many motorcyclists overloaded their bikes with packages, drove recklessly and failed to wear proper protective gear.

The officer added the number of road deaths would still rise because the holiday was not yet over.

Police have launched a special operation over the holiday, called Operasi Ketupat, a reference to the steamed rice cakes often served during the holiday.

The operation, which runs from Oct. 6 to 19, includes efforts to improve safety on the roads, with a special emphasis on those traveling by motorcycle.

Imam said most of the motorcycle accidents during the holiday were in areas of Java and Sumatra not covered by the special operation.

This year, police offered special escorts designed to make the trip home safer for motorcyclists. Twelve groups of 500 motorcycles each were escorted by police officers to various parts of Indonesia, mostly in Java.

Transportation expert Bambang Susantono said the construction of special lanes for motorcycles was not the answer to the problem.

He said the high number of road accidents was a result of people's inability to afford other forms of transportation, forcing more people onto the roads on motorcycles.

""So the government's main task right now is to provide inexpensive public transportation tickets for people so that they will no longer take their motorcycles for the Idul Fitri holiday. This will be an effective solution to the problem,"" the chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society told The Jakarta Post.

He also said the government should consider banning motorcycles from all highways, saying motorbikes were not designed for long-distance travel.

A study by a member of the House of Representatives' transportation commission, Abdullah Azwar Annas, found it would cost families around Rp 1 million (US$110) to travel home for Idul Fitri by bus or train.

By comparison, traveling by motorcycle cost between Rp 200,000 and Rp 300,000.(10)

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