In the second week of November, a truck in Cipularang, Indonesia lost control and crashed into dozens of other cars. A video went viral of the container truck recklessly crushing 18 vehicles. It claimed one life and 27 other people, including the truck driver, were injured in the crash.
The news was particularly poignant, happening so close to the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which was marked this year on November 17. The day of remembrance aims to bring attention to efforts to prevent recklessness and improve road safety.
According to data from the Indonesian Traffic Police, more than 27,000 people lost their lives in road traffic crashes in Indonesia in 2023. While this reflects a 10.7 percent decrease compared to 2010 figures, it’s an 8.7 percent increase from 2019.
Notably, 78 percent of the victims were of working age (15-59 years) and 78 percent of the crashes involved motorcyclists.
Clearly further solutions need to be found to improve road safety in Indonesia.
Increasing the Safety of Motorcyclists
A big part of the problem the government needs to address are motorcycle-related crashes, given motorcycles are the preferred mode of transport in Indonesia, not only in urban areas where traffic congestion is a constant challenge but also in rural areas. Many people choose motorcycles over public transport in big cities because they are fast and affordable.
It is also common for parents to allow their children to begin learning to ride motorcycles as early as primary school, especially among lower-income families. This has led to a high number of underage children riding motorcycles to school. Even among older children who meet the legal age of 17 years old to ride, many do not hold a valid motorcycle license.
The high number of motorcycle crashes in Indonesia may be due to traffic rule violations stemming from a lack of understanding of traffic laws and safety. For example, many people do not know that the speed limit in urban areas is 50km/h and in residential areas it is even lower at 30 km/h. Many motorcyclists in urban areas ride their motorcycles above these speed limits.
Research has found that the majority of people may have limited knowledge of traffic rules. This conclusion was based on surveys conducted with 536 respondents, who, on average, could only answer about 50 percent of questions on traffic rules correctly. The study also found that age, education level, and type of driving license significantly influenced someone’s understanding of traffic laws. Generally, older respondents, those with higher education levels, and holders of driving licenses demonstrated better knowledge of traffic regulations.
High fatality and severe injury rates among motorcyclists may also be linked to not wearing helmets or wearing them incorrectly. Many people still fail to recognize the importance of helmets for protection in crashes, and some choose not to wear them when traffic police are not present. Even in rural areas, many motorcyclists do not wear helmets.
Another study in Bandung City found that while 70 percent of young motorcyclists wore a helmet when riding to school, only 36 percent wore it correctly — with the strap fastened and adjusted. This rate improved on the return journey, with 80 percent wearing a helmet and 63 percent wearing it properly.
However, helmet use among passengers (pillion riders) was even lower. When travelling to school, only 66 percent of pillion riders wore a helmet, with just 31 percent wearing it correctly. On the way home, 74 percent wore a helmet, but only 60 percent wore it correctly.
Bus Crashes have Gotten Worse Since the Pandemic
Aside from motorcycle crashes, there have also been numerous crashes involving intercity and tourist buses, resulting in fatalities and serious injuries. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of crashes involving these buses has noticeably increased, with many resulting in high fatalities. This is likely due to the buses being left unused for an extended period during the lockdown, as well as drivers not having driven for a long time.
Two of the deadliest bus crashes since the pandemic involved tourist buses carrying students on study tours. The first occurred in March 2021, causing 27 fatalities, and the second in May 2024, leading to 11 fatalities and dozens of severe injuries. Both crashes took place on downhill road segments and were caused by brake system malfunctions in the buses.
However, the deadliest bus crash that has ever happened in Indonesia occurred on October 8, 2003, when a tourist bus carrying students also on a study tour collided with two trucks near Paiton, Situbondo in East Java, resulting in a fire that engulfed the bus. Tragically, all 54 passengers died at the scene, unable to escape as the bus was consumed by flames. This crash prompted significant regulatory changes to improve bus safety. Following the incident, the government issued new regulations prohibiting the use of folding doors on buses. Instead, buses are now required to have sliding doors or outward-pushing doors, along with window glass breakers to aid in emergency escapes.
Yet, despite these improvements crashes involving buses are still a significant road safety issue in Indonesia over 20 years later.
Rear-end Collisions are Common on Toll Roads
Another major road safety issue occurs on toll roads, where fatal rear-end collisions are common. These crashes often involve speeding passenger cars colliding with slow-moving or stationary heavy trucks.
Driver drowsiness is frequently a contributing factor in many of these crashes. The trucks move slowly due to the vehicles being overloaded. Therefore, the challenge is both to address speeding and driver drowsiness to ensure more uniform speeds among vehicles using these roads.
How to Make Indonesian Roads Safer
One widely accepted strategy to prevent road traffic fatalities and injuries is by applying a “safe system” approach. This approach acknowledges that people make mistakes and the human body has a limited capacity to withstand crash forces before harm occurs. When mistakes happen on the roads, they should not result in a fatality or severe injury. A safe system is one in which roads are planned, designed, and operated to be forgiving of human error, minimizing the likelihood of fatalities and severe injuries.
The safe system is composed of four essential elements: safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe road users — all of which work together.
Given the challenges facing road safety in Indonesia, it would be more effective for the government to focus on reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries on the roads, rather than solely trying to prevent crashes. This can be achieved by promoting safer road user behaviors through education and public safety campaigns, as well as by enforcing key safety measures.
Enforcement efforts should focus on helmet use for motorcyclists and their passengers, seatbelt use for all car occupants (including back-seat passengers), and child restraint systems for children under 11 years of age and 135 cm tall, in line with World Health Organization standards.
To improve bus passenger safety, all intercity buses should be equipped with seatbelts and seatbelt use should be mandatory for every passenger.
Managing vehicle speeds through appropriate legislation and strict enforcement will further enhance road safety.
However, the government must not overlook efforts to make roads safer.
Additionally, encouraging people — particularly motorcyclists, who are among the vulnerable road users — to shift to public transport will further enhance road safety. Improving public transportation services will make this shift more attractive and feasible.
Implementing these measures will likely lead to a significant reduction in fatalities and serious injuries, helping Indonesia meet its National Road Safety Plan targets for 2021 – 2040 and supporting global goals to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info.
