House Speaker wants heavy punishment for reckless driver

House Speaker Marzuki Alie is calling for stern punishment of Apriyani Susanti, the 28-year-old woman who crashed into 12 pedestrians while allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

“We cannot let this happen. We must impose severe punishment on the perpetrator so that such an incident does not happen again,” Marzuki said Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Marzuki also said that the police should give drivers random blood-alcohol breath tests, as is commonly done abroad.

“If a driver is proven to have consumed alcohol beyond the legal amount and it affects their consciousness, then they would automatically be sanctioned on the spot,” Marzuki said.

The Jakarta Police have named Apriyani a suspect for reckless driving after the black Daihatsu Xenia minivan she was driving on Sunday plowed into a group of pedestrians in Gambir, Central Jakarta, killing 9 people and critically injuring three others. (awd/mtq)