Rules of the Asphalt Jungle

(7/17/2011)

In the past three months, hundreds of people have died tragically on Bali’s roads. Traffic officials claim many of these deaths were avoidable, caused by vehicle operator’s failure to follow traffic rules.

Beritabali.com has tracked vehicular accidents in Bali from March through May 2011. Based on data supplied by the Bali traffic police, in March, 248 people died, 54 suffered serious injuries and 248 were superficially wounded. In the following month of April, 244 people were killed, 54 severely injured and 227 suffered minor injuries. Then in May, 286 people died, 57 sustained serious injuries and 303 were slightly injured.

The director of the Bali Traffic Police, Commissioner Syaugie Achmad, said most of the accidents could be traced to a lack of discipline among those driving on the island's roads.

In order to reduce the carnage, Syaugie said a two-week safety awareness campaign “Patuh Agung 2011” was launched on Monday, July 11, 2011, involving 1,454 combined personnel from various law enforcement and traffic agencies.

Chief among the steps being taken by the campaign are a heightened level of roadside vehicle and document checks. At one check point in Sanur, police discovered 37 violations ranging from a failure to show a license or registration to a the lack of a mandatory helmet for motorcyclist.  At the Sanur check point, police seized 4 motorcycles that had no documentation.

In an unusual step, trials with formal fines and punishments were dispensed on the roadside by a judge who convened his court on-the-spot.