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uodia Widya Lestari never went beyond the road marks whenever she stopped at a red traffic light in her hometown of Yogyakarta.

However, since moving to Jakarta a year ago, the 24-year-old employee has broken the habit.

“Here, motorists stop further than the marks. If I stop before the signs, other vehicles behind me will blow their horn at me,” she said. “I’ve even seen motorcycle police officers do the same.”

Intimidated by the horns, Euodia decided to follow the habit, which once put her in danger.

Her motorcycle almost collided with a moving vehicle from the other direction.

“Now I’m more careful about this. I prefer to be horned at instead of being hit by other vehicles,” she added.

Euodia might get a second bite at the cherry but for hundreds of others, fortune is not on their side.

“Most of the accidents in the capital are caused by fatigue. As they [motorists] are exhausted, they often unintentionally ignore traffic signs and, hence, put themselves and others in danger,” said Jakarta Police traffic unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto.

Apart from work, most motorists in the capital get fatigued because they have to commute an hour or even two to three hours in congested traffic.

The issue is also worsened by the fact that motorists often use mobile phones while driving, he added.

In 2016, 619 people died on the capital’s roads, while 6,286 others suffered either minor or severe injuries, according to reports from the Jakarta Police.

Meanwhile, in 2015, the death toll from the capital’s road accidents reached 532.

In 2014, the police recorded that 621 people were killed and 6,495 others wounded in road accidents.

Due to the fatal death toll, the Jakarta administration earlier this year claimed that road accidents caused the most deaths in the capital after strokes.

Aside from fatigue, the largest number of accidents in the capital was caused by vehicles casually violating traffic regulations.

“Mostly the violations are committed by motorcyclists, who often ignore road markings and go against the vehicle flow,” Budiyanto further explained, adding that the police regularly ticketed such motorists.

In Jakarta, which sees more than 1.3 million commuters daily, it is common that motorcyclists stop beyond road marks wherever they meet a red light.

Moreover, they also occupy sidewalks when roads are heavily congested.

Hence, he added, accidents in the capital mostly involve motorcycles.

Accidents in February this year alone involved 352 two-wheelers and only 82 four-wheelers.

To reduce the number of accidents, the police have teamed up with several institutions to conduct a community education program called Dikmas, or Pendidikan Masyarakat, said Adj. Sr. Comr. Miyanto, the Jakarta Police’s security and safety subdirectorate head.

“In the program, we inform people about how to drive well and not endanger others. We also give advice on how to maintain good performance of vehicles,” he added.

Aside from that, he further said, the police have occasionally conducted meetings with the Jakarta Transportation Agency and other related parties to examine roads that see many accidents.