Joyriding teenager injures 11 people

As many Jakartans gathered to mourn nine pedestrians killed in a reckless driving incident a week ago, a teenage boy injured at least 11 people during a wild joyride in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Although Saturday’s chain of events was not as deadly as last week’s crash in Gambir, Central Jakarta, it again highlighted a culture of reckless driving among young people in Indonesia’s cities.

On Saturday, a 14-year-old boy sneaked out of his home and took a relative’s car, which his parents had planned to buy.

Police said the boy admitted that he wanted to go for “a test drive” and aimed to travel along the city’s main thoroughfares to buy some fried chicken — even though his only experience of driving was taking his grandmother’s car around their housing complex.

“Once he got the car out of the housing complex, he got confused and panicked,” Makassar Traffic Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. M. Hidayat said after questioning the boy on Sunday.

The Honda Jazz driven by the boy hit one car as he passed Jl. Haji Bau. The driver of the other car chased him and, in the subsequent pursuit, the boy first hit a motorcycle and then a becak (three-wheeled pedicab) in Jl. Cendrawasih.

He continued to flee along Jl. Dangko and Jl. Hartaco, where he hit another car and a second motorcycle.

His car finally stopped after hitting a third vehicle in Jl. Daeng Tata I.

An angry mob formed and chased him, as well as damaging the car he had been driving.

Officers from the Tamalate Police picked the boy up and, to stop the mob from attacking him, placed him in detention.

Tamalate Sectoral Police chief Adj. Comr. Amran Allobaji said that parents should not let underage children drive cars or motorcycles.

“To let children who are not old enough to obtain a driver’s license is not only putting themselves in danger but other road users as well,” he said.

He said that the 11 people injured were the drivers and passengers of the crashed vehicles.

The junior high school student, who had been placed under police custody, was returned to his parents late on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jakartans gathered to pray for the victims of the Gambir crash. Residents walked to the crash site, near a bus stop on Jl. Ridwan Rais, offering prayers for the nine victims. They also placed floral tributes as soon as the police completed their final re-enactment.

It has been alleged that the driver, Apriyani Susanti, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol when she lost her control of a borrowed minibus and ran over two groups of pedestrians. She and her three passengers were unscathed in the crash.

She has been named a suspect for reckless driving and drug abuse, with the police considering whether to add a murder or a manslaughter charge.

She may face up to 12 years in prison for possessing illegal drugs and six years for fatal reckless driving. The Criminal Code carries a maximum 15 years in jail for murder.

Hundreds of residents of Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta, also gathered to remember the four neighbors killed in the crash.

They also urged authorities to get serious in stopping drug trafficking and improve pedestrian safety.

“We gathered here to show our concerns. Justice has to be served and we have to stop drug trafficking,” said Endang, head of the Forum Betawi Bersatu organization.

A group of pedestrian advocates have proposed Jan. 22 to be known as Pedestrians’ Day in remembrance of the victims.