balinews

Member
Feb 14, 2010
999
4
18
Bali’s roads have become the scene of unprecedented carnage, with 758 people dying in traffic accidents in just three months, 200 more fatalities than all of last year, police said on Friday.

An average of more than eight people a day died on the resort island’s roads in March, April and May.

“This has become a great concern,” said Sr. Comr. Syauqie Ahmad, head of the Bali Police’s traffic department.

He said May was the deadliest month, with 286 deaths and 360 injuries, followed by March with 248 dead and 302 injured. The death toll in April was 224, with another 281 injured.

Syauqie said 541 people died in traffic accidents in all of 2010.

He said he believed the rise in fatalities was linked to the increase in the number of vehicles on the island.

In 2006 1.58 million vehicles were registered on the island. That number has risen to 2.35 million so far this year.


758 Die in Bali Traffic Accidents | The Jakarta Globe
 

matsaleh

Super Moderator
May 26, 2004
2,471
145
63
Legian, Bali
That figure of 758 road deaths in 3 months is astounding, :icon_e_surprised: especially as Bali only had a population of just over 4 million people.

I don't know about other countries, but Australia, with a population of over 20 million, and substantially more roads, only has around 1,300 to 1,500 fatalities a year.

From the (Australian) Department of Infastructure and Transport's website:

Road Deaths Australia - June 2011

This month's key figures


• There was a total of 102 road deaths in June 2011. Compared to the average
for the month of June over the last five years, this is a 19.7 per cent decrease.

• During the 12 months ended June 2011 there were 1,304 deaths. This is
a 7.2 per cent decrease from the 12-monthly period ending June 2010.
http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/06/Files/RDA_Jun_2011.pdf
 

JohnnyCool

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2009
1,414
88
48
Sanur
If anything, "that figure of 758 road deaths in 3 months" could actually be an underestimate. Accurate record-keeping throughout Indonesia, let alone Bali, is an oxymoron. For example, many millions of children in Java don't even have birth certificates.

Similarly, I wonder how accurate this statement is:
Syauqie said 541 people died in traffic accidents in all of 2010.
The current population of Bali at 3.9 million doesn't include expats living here, a projected 2.4 million foreign tourist arrivals for the year, not to mention the huge number of domestic tourists coming mainly from Java.

What is truly astounding, IMHO, is the lack of any visible efforts to enforce traffic "regulations" in any realistic ways. I see very young children (eight year-olds), riding around on motorbikes every day of the week. In fact, I'm seeing more and more of them, not less!

Apart from some Indonesian "freeways", my understanding is that the official maximum speed limit on roads is supposed to be 70 KPH. Yeah - right! Take a spin on the By-Pass between LotteMart (Makro) and Sanur at 70 kmh and see how many vehicles pass you doing 100+ kmh. In the 15+ years I've been here, I've hardly ever seen somebody pulled over for speeding. Even when speeding past police patrol cars or police on motorbikes.

Many "accidents" here do not get reported. In the case of fatalities, I guess they have to be. I also imagine that many minor "injuries" get lost in reports, and some of those die later. I don't know how many, of course, but I bet the police don't know. too.

Vehicle registration numbers are also misleading. There are many thousands of unregistered vehicles in Bali. Even the police acknowledge this fact. I wonder what actually happens if and when police come across one? Is the vehicle immediately confiscated, put off the road, etc?

:icon_cry:
 
Last edited: