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'CIick it for safety': Jakarta motorists not fond of wearing seat belts, ETLE data shows
Of the 642 traffic offenses caught by the cameras along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman last week, 400 were related to disuse of safety belts, followed by 198 violations of the odd-even plate number rule and 44 cases of using phones while driving.
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A police officer monitors the traffic flow through the CCTV network in the Traffic Management Center, Polda Metro Jaya, Jakarta on July 1. The Jakarta Police's Traffic Directorate has expanded the types of offenses committed by motorists on July 1 that it monitors through the newly installed state-of-the-art cameras through its electronic traffic law enforcement system. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
hree college students had plenty of time to spare and money in their pockets last weekend, so after lunch at a fast food restaurant in the Sarinah shopping mall on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, they headed for the Camden Bar in Cikini, about 4 kilometers away.
Behind the wheel was 20-year-old Thomas Kurniawan. He visibly tried to appear good-humored after he failed to convince his buddies on board, Martua Silitonga and Andreas Butar-Butar, to use their seat belts. He worried about being caught by the traffic cameras that police had installed along the streets they would pass.
Martua, 20, and Andreas, 19, had retorted they did not feel comfortable sitting buckled up. In their hometown of Medan, North Sumatra, they argued, few people would bother using the basic safety equipment while riding in a car.
“They know the risks of not putting on seat belts. I’m tired of telling them to abide by the rule. Well, if we get caught, then they must pay the fines,” he said on Friday.
Refusing to buckle up remains a problematic attitude among Jakartan motorists and passengers, according to police, although people are aware they risk a one-month jail term and a Rp 250,000 (US$17.70) fine.
Of the 642 traffic offenses caught by the cameras along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman last week, 400 were related to disuse of safety belts, followed by 198 violations of the odd-even plate number rule and 44 cases of using phones while driving, data from Jakarta Police's Traffic Directorate revealed.
High definition CCTV cameras have been recently installed over the city’s thoroughfares and more are to be set up in other busy areas as part of the Jakarta Police’s electronic traffic law enforcement (ETLE) system.
