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s the country that has the third largest motorcycle population in the world after China and India, Indonesia can'€™t be separated from traffic jams. Especially in the capital Jakarta, there are many motorcycles. A great number of motorcycles will surely result in a great number of traffic violations, which sometimes lead to accidents. Starting from not using a helmet until running red traffic lights, these motorists are putting their lives on the line just to reach their destinations at the right time.

Up to 2013, motorcycles made a great contribution to the total number of vehicles in Indonesia, which was around 76.4 million units as stated by Central Statistics Agency (2012). With almost 26.4 million units of motorcycles operating in Jakarta, the city has changed its title to '€œa sea full of motorcycles'€. Unfortunately, the growth in vehicle numbers is not balanced by the growth of roads, which is only 0.01 percent every year.

Jakarta has around 7,200 kilometers of roads at present, while the ideal total road length for the amount of vehicles that Jakarta has is around 12,000 kilometers (40 percent more than the actual amount of roads in Jakarta).

Based on the data, there is no doubt that the number of motorcycles impacts the total number of traffic violations in Jakarta. Even though traffic signs are clearly visible and there are police officers patrolling the roads of Jakarta, some motorists are pushing away road-safety rules.

In order to take control of the roads, there are dozens of sanctions that are being applied for riders. Other than that, the Jakarta administration is reducing the number of roads that can be used by the motorists such as from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to Jl. Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta.

Traffic violations will surely harm other road users, and what about road safety? It will surely put someone'€™s life at risk behind the lines. For this city to increase road safety, we all need to participate in achieving the same goal by watching out for violations and increasing awareness of the effects that it will create in order to decrease the amount of traffic violations. We should play by the rules that are set by the government in driving or using our vehicles; because if we don'€™t start now, who will?

Alexander Kennedy
Jakarta