Indonesia

Country Summary

Similar to many countries in Southeast Asia, there is a motorization boom going on in Indonesia — and most of those new drivers are opting to ride fast, maneuverable motorcycles that can cut through the country’ urban traffic. As a result, some 60 per cent of the roughly 20,000 people who die on Indonesia’s roads each year are motorcycle drivers.

“Throughout the whole country, motorcycles are a compulsory part of the culture”, explains Dr. Siti Malkhamah, road safety expert from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Gadjah Mada University.

In just one of its many initiatives, the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) in Indonesia has worked with researchers from Gadjah Mada University and the Directorate of Land Transport Safety to study motorcycle riders’ attitudes and habits towards helmet use in three cities in order to design effective helmet-use campaigns and interventions.

GRSP in Indonesia has also worked with key stakeholders to address national helmet manufacturing standards, and dissemination of good practice manuals on helmet use.

Indonesia / ©Mobile

These are just two of many examples of ways that GRSP in Indonesia is working with government, civil society and business partners to implement effective and comprehensive road safety promotion. Among other things, GRSP is working to support efforts to improve speed management, enhance road safety legislation, increase public education and foster the capacity of law enforcement.

As Indonesia’s government gears up efforts around the Decade of Action, GRSP in Indonesia is intimately involved in the integration of the Decades’ five pillars among all sectors. During Indonesia’s Road Safety Week celebrations in 2010, for example, GRSP played a central role in everything from bicycle promotion, helmet awareness events, education seminars, improvement of pedestrian crossings and encouraging people to sign personal road safety commitment cards, among other things.

In general, priority is on the riders instead of the passengers…if you have two helmets at home it’s the driver that uses it.

– Dr. Siti Malkhamah, road safety expert, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Gadjah Mada University in Jakarta