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Deaths continue amid poor road, trucking safety
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Vehicles involved in consecutive collisions at kilometer 92 of the Cipularang Toll Road are pictured at the Jatiluhur toll office in Purwakarta regency, West Java, on Nov. 11, 2024. Police officers recorded 17 vehicles involved in the accidents, which resulted in one death and 23 injuries. (Antara Foto/Raisan Al Farisi)
I
ndonesia has seen a number of deadly road accidents over the past year, sparking concerns about road safety and calls for stronger government oversight of the land transportation and logistics sectors.
During this year’s Idul Fitri mudik (exodus), some 200 million people, three quarters of the national population, hit the road. It was the largest mudik ever recorded, in part because it was the first Idul Fitri following the lifting of COVID-19 mobility restrictions.
The festivities, however, were marred by a deadly head-on collision on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road in Karawang, West Java, on April 9, involving a minibus and other vehicles.
The accident, which occurred as the police were enforcing a counterflow lane policy to relieve traffic congestion, began when a Suzuki GrandMax minibus heading toward Cikampek swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a bus.
All 11 people in the minibus died in the collision, which prompted the police to suspend the counterflow system that had been in place throughout the mudik travel period.
Read also: ‘Mudik’ season marred by deadly road crash
The Transportation Ministry, however, contended that the traffic policy was not the primary cause of the accident, instead blaming it on fatigue on the part of the minibus driver and a violation of road safety rules.
