Road crashes in Indonesia result in an estimated 32,000 fatalities annually, with motorcyclists and pedestrians making up the majority of deaths. Factors contributing to the high fatality rate include a lack of safe infrastructure for vulnerable road users, unsafe vehicles, and minimal enforcement of traffic laws. Gathering comprehensive crash data and implementing a "safe system" approach could help reduce deaths by redesigning roads and traffic management to account for human fallibility. Actions are needed from road authorities, police, and individuals to upgrade safety standards, address high-risk locations and behaviors, and boost regulatory enforcement. Without concerted efforts, road crashes will continue to take a devastating toll.

1. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic
Eric Howard
Road Safety Advisor, INDII

2. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
Road safety performance in Indonesia.
• Estimated 32,000* road crash fatalities in Indonesia
annually
• 90 deaths a day, a death every 16 minutes
• Estimated 320,000 serious injuries annually from road
crashes
• Fatality rate per population is about 14* per 100,000.
Compares to Sweden and the UK with fatality rates below
3.
• Relatively little community knowledge of scale of this
disaster.
2

3. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic
Central Java - unofficial crash statistics
(2011):
• 4400 people killed on roads
• Implies further 45,000 people seriously
injured in 2011 - Central Java.
• 25% of those deaths were 16 and
17 year olds, in equal proportions, usually
riding motorcycles.
3

4. Road Safety Management
2 lane 2 way rural arterial road
speed limit 60 km/h
4

5. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
WHY?
• Motorisation rates
• Unpreparedness of system to cope
• High numbers of motorcycles
• High numbers of (and high proportion of overloaded) trucks
• Mix of the two
• Little provision for safe pedestrian movement – footpaths,
obstacles, crossings
• Layers of social and economic pressures – eg school entries
• Linear urban development
• Lack of controls on highway roadside development
• Lack of practitioner knowledge
• Lack of $$ and political commitment
• Not much community awareness
5

6. The silent epidemic.
Lack of knowledge by practitioners
6

7. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
WHY?
Crash Types Factors Why that is
Many truck • Brakes fail • Overloading, poor maintenance
crashes. • Fatigue • Poor regulation and enforcement
About 12% fatal • Overloaded trucks • No adequate regulations or enforcement
crashes (CJ • Need a level playing field to counter excess
figures) behaviours driven by unsafe competitive pressures
(they are a negative incentive)
Many motor Run off road by trucks • Unsafe overtaking by trucks (inadequate enforcement,
cycle deaths inadequate penalties to change driver and company behaviour)
• No protection i.e., they are virtually pedestrians
• Mobility benefits overwhelm safety considerations
Continuous Continuous • Little regulatory control on roadside development, or on access
urban intersections from properties to the roadway.
development • DGH cannot set access conditions for new development
along (economic pressures not adequately managed re safety)
roads
7

8. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
WHY?
Crash Types Factors What that is
Pedestrians • Footpaths not • Traders, hawkers, tree planting, parked cars and motor cycles
useable so use road use footpath. Absence of public sector management to
• Crossings unsafe counter
and stopping not • Physical treatments to improve safety required
observed by many • Enforcement of compliance by riders and driver needed
motorists • Regulations may need review
8

9. The silent epidemic.
Linear urban development
9

10. What are the crash issues?
Road crash fatalities across Indonesia:
Motorcyclists (50 - 60%) and pedestrians (20 – 30%).
• Both (with cyclists) make up vulnerable road users (not
protected in a crash in way vehicle occupant is) - the
substantial majority of Indonesian road fatalities.
Reasons for high pedestrian fatality rate
• Speed of passing vehicles - pedestrian areas
• Lack of footpaths
• Lack of crossing provision for pedestrians with associated
speed control and warning signage for vehicles
• Vehicles failing to give way to pedestrians
10

11. Provision for safe pedestrian movement ?
11

12. Provision for safe pedestrian movement?
12

13. Provision for safe pedestrian movement?
13

14. Provision for safe pedestrian movement?
14

15. What are the crash issues?
Road crash fatalities across Indonesia:
Motorcyclists (50 - 60%) and pedestrians (20 – 30%).
Reasons for high motorcyclist fatality rate
• Need to slow vehicles and motorcyclists down to safe speeds
where sharing road
– Speed of passing vehicles for motorcyclists
– Speed of motorcyclists
• Larger overtaking vehicles forcing motorcyclists off road
• Colliding with vehicles at intersections
– other vehicles not seeing motorcyclist
– motorcyclist not seeing other vehicle.
– may not comply with red lights
15

16. High risk mobility on the Pantura
16

17. Unlicensed riding:
major component in fatalities
17

18. Mixing with large vehicles travelling at
more than 40 km/h
18

19. Effective Road Safety Management?
Why do parents
appear not to place
high value on
helmets for their
children?
Cost?
Lack of knowledge?
Why don’t
authorities find
solutions?

20. Run off road crashes. High fatality risk at
higher speeds.
20

21. Run off road hazards
High fatality risk at higher speeds
21

22. Run off road crashes. High fatality risk at
higher speeds
22

23. Lack of understanding of risk
23

24. Unsafe heavy vehicles, usually overloaded
24

25. Unsafe heavy vehicles, usually overloaded
25

26. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic
The mix of trucks and motorcycles on high volume higher speed
highways is catastrophic
26

27. Head on crash risk. Major issue on busy roads
where traffic volumes prevent safe overtaking
27

28. Uncontrolled continuous side access to roads
28

29. Uncontrolled continuous side access to roads
29

30. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic
Looking to a better future
Needs much improved community awareness that:
• road crashes are not inevitable,
• community has level of road safety it is prepared to
accept,
• road safety crash risks can be managed and
• policy choices and investment - which better
balance:
 economic outcomes and safety, and
 personal interest and community interest,
can save lives
30

31. Changing what is considered acceptable behaviour
31

32. Shifting behaviours - with attitudes to follow
Changing long standing community behaviours and
attitudes - not a simple task.
Gaining community support for change essential.
It takes time.
With increasing support - much that can be done in a
thoughtful way to reduce this human and economic waste.
32

33. SAFE SYSTEM
Developing a safe system
• What is a safe system of road use?
33

34. SAFE SYSTEM
When road users cannot be killed or
seriously injured on the network.
• Human life and health are paramount
• Individuals have a right to survive
• Crashes always likely to happen, even with
continuing focus on prevention.
• Minimize severity of injury in a crash
• Road users should not die because of system
failings.
34

35. SAFE SYSTEM
What does that require us to do?
• Safe system - a new, very different approach –
a framework for long term elimination of
serious casualties.
• Much realignment in our thinking necessary
if it is to be adopted/ applied
• Provides many ‘levers’ for action
• How will we do it?
• What are the important steps?
35

36. SAFE SYSTEM
SAFER TRAVEL
Alert and
Safer compliant
speeds road users
Admittance to
the system (lower speeds
more forgiving
of human Understand
errors) crashes and
risk
Emergency
medical Human
treatment tolerance to
physical force
Safer roads
Education and / roadsides
Safer (more
information Legislation &
Vehicles forgiving of
supporting Enforcement
human
road users errors) of road rules

37. SAFE SYSTEM
Understanding the Safe System concept :
• recognise the Biomechanical tolerance limits
= Human tolerance to physical force
• the way the system elements interact with each
other
• the crash outcome risks - Focus on injuries not
crashes
37

38. SAFE SYSTEM
Recognise the ways of operating that make the current
system unsafe.
• Safety usually squeezed out by economic interest,
inconvenience and inattention
• Impacts often fall disproportionally on more vulnerable
- young, old, marginalised
• Conditioning by environment – eg. growing up in certain
environments , risk of loss of life on the road is seen as
price for necessary mobility!
38

39. 2007

40. Redesigning system to make
crashes survivable – the role of speed
Safe System – Crash types and indicative fatality
risk at speeds: (from P. Wramborg, 2005)
100%
Fatality Pedestrian
Head-on
risk
Side
impact
Zero
10 30 50 70 90 110
Collision speed (km/h)
40

41. Crash types and limits of safe system impact speeds – for
a light passenger vehicle environment
Crash Type Speed (km/h)
• Head on (Overtaking) < 70
• Intersections (Continuous Access) < 50
• Run off road < 50
• Pedestrians (crashes with vehicles) < 30
Kinetic Energy to be dissipated in a crash
depends on: Mass x Speed x Speed
41

42. 42

43. Changes in mean speed and changes in crashes
Reducing mean speed by a few km/h will deliver large crash reductions
5% decrease in average speed gives a 14% reduction in serious injury
crashes and a 20% reduction in fatal crashes
50%
40% Deaths
Serious injuries
% change in casualties
30%
Other injuries
20%
10%
0%
-10%
-20%
-30%
-40%
-50%
-10% -8% -6% -4% -2% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10%
% change in speed
Elvik et al, (2004)

44. Relationship between speed changes and changes in
casualty rates (Elvik et al 2004)
Change in mean Speed reduction Speed increase
speed -10% -5% -1% +1% +5% +10%
Change in:
Deaths -38% -21% -4% +5% +25% +54%
Serious injuries -27% -14% -3% +3% +16% +33%
Other injuries -15% -7% -1% +2% +8% +15%
Property damage -10% -5% -1% +1% +5% +10%
crashes
Speed variations have a greater effect upon severe
(fatal and serious injury) crashes

45. What do we need to do to reduce this rate of
death?
What are the critical issues?
Because road safety is complex, distributed, reliant on
strong ‘Whole of Government’ and community
partnership actions – it is a case study in difficulty.
Road safety performance is a snapshot of the overall day
to day life of a society
• Road safety management systems and capacity crucial
• Standards of governance in a society ?
45

46. Road safety performance and other social indicators
CORRUPTION COUNTRY ROAD SAFETY ROAD SAFETY
PERCEPTIONS PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE -
INDEX - RANKING (2008) Fatalities/ RANKING
(2010) 100,000 popln.
1 Denmark 9.3 20
1 New Zealand 8.57 18
1 Singapore 5.0
4 Finland 7.7 16
4 Sweden 4.32 3
6 Canada 7.18 14
7 Netherlands 4.13 2
8 Australia 6.8 11
8 Switzerland 4.7 5
10 Norway 5.38 7
11 Iceland 3.81 1
11 Luxembourg 7.23 15
13 Hong Kong
14 Ireland 6.34 10
15 Austria 8.15 17
15 Germany 5.45 8
17 Barbados
17 Japan 4.72 6
19 Qatar
20 United Kingdom 4.31 46
4

47. Road safety performance and other social indicators
http://www.globalhealtheurope.org
CORRUPTION COUNTRY ROAD SAFETY ROAD SAFETY
PERCEPTIONS PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE -
INDEX - RANKING (2008) Fatalities/ RANKING
(2010) 100,000 popln.
1
15 Denmark
Germany 9.3
5.45 20
8
17 Barbados
17 Japan 4.72 6
19 Qatar
20 United Kingdom 4.31 4
21 Chile
22 Belgium 10.08 21
22 United States 12.25 22
24 Uruguay
25 France 6.91 13
28
26 Cyprus
Estonia
30
27 Spain
Slovenia 6.85 12
30
28 Israel A. Emirates
United 5.5 9
32 Portugal 8.7 19
47

48. What do we need to do to reduce this rate of
death?
Many opportunities to change current situation.
1. Redesigning system over next, say, 30
years to make crashes survivable – safe
system
• Completely new design philosophy for roads and
streets
• Speed limit related to biomechanics and road
crashworthiness
• Integrated model for safe traffic
48

49. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of
death?
2. Gather information:
• Obtain good data - on crash type and crash location
make available and develop analysis capabilities
Central Java crash data known because:
• new road crash data system is in development for Police
• now producing interim outputs.
Major potential advance for Indonesian road safety.
49

50. Crash data: Preliminary 2012 YTD - North Sulawesi
100
90
80
70
60
50
40 KEJADIAN
MD
30
LB
LR
20
10
0
50

51. Crash data: Preliminary YTD 2012 - North Sulawesi
51

52. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of
death?
3. Take action
As: Authorities
Practitioners
Individuals
52

53. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3A. Actions by Road Authorities:
• identify highest risk parts of network (crash data)
• develop guidelines for low cost/ high return work
• update:
safety standards
road safety audit policies
• ensure new projects are safe system compliant as far as
feasible
• develop and apply knowledge on ‘safe system’
approaches and speed management. i.e.
 fix unprotected roadside hazards,
 seal shoulders for pedestrians and motorcyclists
 focus on intersection safety including signals
53

54. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
Assessing risk on the network – major rural highways
Frequent accesses, Uncontrolled parking
effectively intersections,
Narrow pavement, no
development controls?
linemarking
Bus passengers but no
Inadequate footpaths for
formalised stops
pedestrians, no
Unsealed uneven shoulders crossings
2007

55. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3B. Actions by Police
• Upgrade police operations to achieve increased
enforcement and deterrence capacity (through, eg., early
assistance from international police; training,
equipment).
• Public perception of likely detection to be high
• Consider new/ expanded fixed penalty system and
‘back room’ infringement processing capacity.
• Upgrade systems to ensure driver offences recorded
against license
• When feasible, introduce a demerit point system
• Strengthen justice system support for adopted
government policy
• Develop crash investigation skills
55

56. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3C. Supporting behaviour change: MoT
Understanding:
• how legislative arrangements and supporting systems influence
behavioural compliance?
• which behavioural compliance improvements would maximise safe
system achievement?
• which policies, guidelines and standards are influential in their effect
upon road safety outcomes - and whose adjustment would provide
the best opportunities for improved performance
56

57. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3C. Ministry of Transport to:
- Establish a road user behaviour capacity in DGLT
- Develop road safety research capacity in the Universities
- Adopt safety standards for new vehicles at international
good practice level
3D. Ministry of Education to:
- Upgrade imparting good practice road safety
knowledge to school children
57

58. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3C. Ministry of Transport
Safer Vehicles - strengthen vehicle safety standards
(eg., fitting rear seat belts, air bags, ESC)
- promote safer new and used cars to
public
- promote new technologies to public
- encourage riders to become drivers
(encourage low cost cars into market)
Safer heavy vehicles and safer buses
58

59. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3E. Local government
Pedestrian safety including around Schools (potential pilot program)
59

60. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3E. Local government
Pedestrian safety including around Schools (potential pilot program)
60

61. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3E. Local government
Pedestrian safety including around Schools (potential pilot program)
61

62. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3E. Local government
Pedestrian safety including around Schools (potential pilot program)
62

63. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
3E. Local government
Pedestrian safety including around Schools (potential pilot program)
63

64. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic
Other key areas for action
• Hospitals.
Eg., Muhammadyah Hospital - serving the ‘killing fields’ of
Lamongan district
• Licensing of drivers: Major opportunities to improve the
testing, checking of status, to reduce casualties
• Public education: including information on road rules
and campaigns in support of enforcement
64

65. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic.
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of death?
4. SET UP ACCOUNTABILITY ARRANGEMENTS
• Agree responsibilities
• Agree results framework in coordination body
- Measure intermediate outcomes –
Certain of these accurately indicate final outcomes:
 average speeds
 presence of excess alcohol
 seat belt wearing rates
 % of vehicles with NCAP ratings
 helmet wearing rates
• How can the partners make decisions about
- necessary adjustment to targets or press for
improved performance?
• Measure final outcomes
65

66. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic
What do we need to do to reduce this rate of
death?
• Road safety management and coordination across
government in early stages, needs strengthening
• Serious lack of human and financial resources across
national and local government
For example: Condition of signs/ linemarking on many
roads reflects underinvestment – negative safety impact.
Adequate funding essential if conditions are to change.
66

67. Looking ahead
Major knowledge transfer required to public
• Consider use of Demonstration Projects (Pilot projects) to
support building expertise and community awareness
• Talk with the public about infrastructure safety standard/
speed limit combinations and resultant risk levels on the
network
• Build understanding of risks/ solutions through this dialogue
Promote upwards to senior bureaucrats and
politicians
Monitor & Evaluate initiatives
Build robust Indonesian R & D capability
Establish road user behaviour team in DGLT
67

68. Road Safety Case Study
• 6 lane one way urban arterial road
• speed limit 60 km/h, usually exceeded
• school on far side of pedestrian crossing
68

69. Good practice pedestrian operated signals in
Surakarta
69

70. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic
Action by practitioners and individuals ?
Practitioners - drive what we have discussed
• Government and industry promoting vehicle
safety information and voluntary actions to public
• Senior officers advocating change within government
- building confidence that change is politically
manageable,
• Seek other partners (eg., professional associations)
• Ensuring outcomes are measured and published and
commented upon
70

71. Practitioners and robust knowledge transfer
arrangements - essential :
Within organisations
o LG and NGO’s
o Senior bureaucrats
o Parliamentarians
o Elected members in local authorities
• Senior people in agencies are crucial change agents,
gatekeepers for advice to Ministers. Need to be well
informed about science/ research/ evidence
• Do senior people in key agencies have sufficient
knowledge to successfully advocate necessary change –
with public, with Ministers?
71

72. Road Casualties in Indonesia: The silent epidemic
Action by practitioners and individuals ?
Individuals can promote:
• Helmet wearing
• Seat belt wearing (and availability in taxis)
• Not giving 12 year olds a m/cycle!
• Avoid using m/c’s: 30 times risk of vehicle occupant
• Buying a safer car (used car)
• Complying with road rules
• Advocating safer vehicle purchase and safe driving
practices in your workplaces (govt. purchasing policies)
• Talking to your colleagues and friends about what
improvement is possible and modelling that
behaviour.
72

73. Effective deterrence and improved standards

74. INDONESIA NEEDS TO:
• Build an appetite to embrace change, have aspiration
• Follow top down and bottom up efforts (national agencies
and strategy/ local government activities)
• Build community knowledge of the silent epidemic & what
could be done
• Act on ‘how’ to achieve changes
• Performance: encourage accountability and reward it
74

75. Effective Road Safety Management
The scale of the road safety problem to be
addressed over next 40 to 50 years
Road safety efforts over the life of
new National Action Plan to 2020
First steps
towards
the long
term goal
Time

76. 2007

77. 77

78. “Policymakers can make the traffic system as
safe as they want to - the road crash problem is
man-made and can be remedied’
P.A.M. Cornelissen MEP
Road Safety Rapporteur
European Parliament, 1999
78

79. Road Casualties in Indonesia:
The silent epidemic
Thank you
Eric Howard
Road Safety Advisor, INDII