Safe Ecosystem, Real Manifestation of Worship on the Street

People start planning their trips ahead of the Eid holiday. Instead of going on vacation abroad, many people choose to use the Eid al-Fitr moment to visit relatives. As a result, domestic movement will increase.

One of the mobility of society that is often in the spotlight is land transportation. Usually colored by the movement of migrants from big cities, including the areas of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) to various other areas.

The movement is in line with similar government predictions from year to year. The results of a survey by the Transportation Policy Agency of the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) together with the Kompas Research and Development Agency show that the potential for movement during the 2025 Eid holiday is predicted to reach 52 percent of the total population of Indonesia. The figure is equivalent to 146.48 million people.

"The traffic of people leaving Jakarta involves at least eight toll gates (GT). As many as three GTs are in West Java which is also the center of the 2025 Lebaran homecoming flow. We need coordination to anticipate potential congestion at these points," said Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi in his official statement in Jakarta, Tuesday (4/3/2025).

The potential movement during the 2025 Eid holiday from Java Island reached 51.3 percent or 81.5 million people. The majority came from West Java, East Java, and Central Java.

The peak of the homecoming flow is predicted to occur on March 28, 2025 or D-3 of Eid. At that time, the volume of vehicles expected to leave Jakarta will soar by 60 percent compared to the normal daily volume of vehicles.

Preparation of traffic arrangements on toll roads is certainly one of the concerns of the government, police, and other stakeholders. Because, some people still choose to use private vehicles to travel.

Reflecting on previous long holiday moments, accidents on toll roads have not been avoided. Although in the data of the Traffic Corps (Korlantas) of the Indonesian National Police the number of accidents during Operation Ketupat decreased from 64 accidents in 2023 to 56 accidents in 2024, the number of victims is not just a statistic.

Those numbers should be interpreted more deeply. Because, in the end, there are still families who are plagued by misery, instead of enjoying the warmth of gathering together.

Last year, a tragedy occurred on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road Kilometer (Km) 58 on April 8, 2024, exactly one day before the Eid al-Fitr celebration. A Gran Max car traveling in the contraflow lane entered the regular lane or the opposite direction, then hit a bus. As a result, 12 people died in the incident. Contraflow is a traffic engineering system that changes the direction of vehicles opposite from the normal direction.

After further investigation, the car was an "illegal vehicle" carrying passengers exceeding its capacity. The driver had not had enough rest because he had been driving the Jabodetabek-Ciamis route for four consecutive days. He was also suspected of having fallen asleep for a moment or microsleep (Kompas.id, 4/13/2024).

Technical conditions that often trigger disruptions, even accidents, on the road are often raised by many parties, including the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT). Various KNKT investigations have uncovered the root of the problem of a series of tragedies that have occurred.

"From KNKT records, during the Lebaran homecoming and return flow, many accidents were triggered because people were tired," said KNKT Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono.

There are at least four fundamental aspects that are the root cause of accidents. These include individual technical conditions to systems that need improvement, especially for land transportation.

First, the problem of vehicle maintenance is often ignored. Maintenance on train and airplane transportation modes has become a mandatory maintenance program. Unfortunately, different conditions are faced by land transportation, especially passengers and goods.

Soerjanto said, there are no specific provisions that require what must be done during maintenance. So far only the vehicle inspection test does not cover all the problems. In fact, there are still other maintenance problems, such as brakes that tend to be repaired when there is a problem.

"It's too late. Before there is a problem, there should have been a maintenance process. Maintaining the condition of goods and systems so that they always work as we expect," said Soerjanto.

Second, the duration of work and rest of the drivers is not yet organized. Train drivers, for example, drive a maximum of 4 hours a day. Pilots fly planes for 8 hours at most. Unlike the two professions, transportation drivers are not limited.

"For drivers (land transportation), there is no clear limit on the maximum allowed and the minimum rest hours. For pilots, they must rest for a minimum of 8 hours, before the next flight," said Soerjanto.

Third, the problem of driver health is not standardized. Engineers, pilots, and captains must pass a comprehensive health check, including mental conditions. So far, land transportation drivers only need to attach a health certificate from a general practitioner. This is considered unable to see the driver's overall medical condition.

"Many drivers who have high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, it greatly affects their ability to drive. If it's diabetes, it's easy to get sleepy. If it's cholesterol, the body easily aches. If you have gout, the body feels sore when moved so that reflexes are lacking, reactions are slow," he said.

When the results of the pilot, engineer, and captain's health checks are bad, they are prohibited from driving their respective vehicles. They can only resume their activities when the results of the follow-up checks have been declared good.

Fourth, supervision and law enforcement in the land transportation sector are minimal. These efforts are not carried out massively, as has been applied to airplanes and trains.

"If those four things are not fixed, yes, it will continue to repeat itself, it will continue to be like that. The number of accidents on land is very high," said Soerjanto.

In addition to the basic aspects that have not been in favor of land transportation drivers, it turns out that the complexity on the road increases when the police implement traffic engineering. During Lebaran, contraflow and one way or one-way systems are enforced on a number of toll roads.

Deputy Assistant for Operations to the Chief of Police, Inspector General Endi Sutendi, said that the Police have prepared various traffic engineering schemes to reduce vehicle density during the homecoming and return flows. Operation Ketupat will be held from March 26, 2025 to April 8, 2025.

"For the scheme on the toll road, we will see the situation and conditions in the field. If necessary, we will implement contraflow, one-way systems, and diversion of traffic to arterial roads to smooth traffic," he said.

Separately, transportation and traffic law observer Budiyanto said that contraflow has its own positive and negative sides. The good thing is that road capacity increases, traffic performance and acceleration of certain directions can run.

On the other hand, this system is also prone to accidents. Because, between the contraflow lane and the regular lane is only limited by traffic cones. Vehicle speed should not exceed 60 km per hour because of limited space.

Budi believes that the deployment of personnel in the field must be adequate and equipped with communication tools. In the event of an emergency, coordination with other personnel must be carried out to determine the appropriate solution. Evacuation personnel must always be on standby.

When the vehicle has entered the lane, the driver and all passengers cannot access the rest area. The driver's prime condition is required. Because, the driver must concentrate fully.

"When we assess a risk from a condition, it is true that contraflow has a higher hazard level than non-contraflow. This risk of danger can still be controlled," said KNKT Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono.

Drivers need higher concentration so that fatigue will come faster. Therefore, Soerjanto recommends that the police and related parties implement a contraflow of 20-30 km, instead of penetrating 100 km. The exit route should be before entering the rest area so that drivers can immediately rest after going through the contraflow.

"If we doubt the performance of the car, it is better not to enter the contraflow. When entering, there is no rest area. Don't let it happen that when you are sleepy, you can't go to the rest area. Convince yourself to be in top condition until the end of the contraflow," he said.

If the contraflow is to be implemented long, KNKT suggests that the one-way system be implemented at once. However, Soerjanto admitted that this would not solve the traffic jam problem. Because, traffic jams on national roads must also be considered.

When the one-way system is in effect, the government and police must think about the exit route from the toll gate. Don't let there be a bottleneck or a narrowing of the road that causes congestion.

However, Soerjanto added, the one-way system actually encourages drivers to drive at high speeds, even reaching 150-160 km per hour. This is because they feel more relaxed while driving. Such situations must be carefully monitored.

Drivers must also increase their vigilance. This is because traffic signs will not be visible. All of them will be reversed, making it seem as though there are no signs due to being against the direction. The government and police need to add more traffic signs, especially in hazardous areas.

Accidents frequently haunt buses, both public and tourism buses. The government's firmness in implementing regulations and the police's enforcement of the law are key to reducing the number of accidents. However, the proactive attitude of the public in checking the status of buses is also necessary.

Soerjanto stated that the public has been introduced to ground partners. Before using buses, the public must check the license plate number or the official transportation company to be used. The status of the vehicle and the office must be verified.

While there is still time, the government needs to conduct safety inspections or ramp checks. Inspections should not only be at the terminal, but also up to the vehicle garage. If necessary, conduct periodic tests.

"Do a ramp check in the garage, well in advance of the homecoming. Don't operate at the terminal when you're home, it will cause chaos. Learn from past incidents so they don't happen again," said Soerjanto.

Then, all parties need to be more humane to the drivers. Do not let them rest in the trunk, hotel parking lot, or roadside. Sometimes, lodgings do not even provide toilets for drivers. Tour operators also need to provide free rest areas while waiting for their guests to tour.

When this is not considered, the consequences are long-lasting. The driver's minimal sleep quality affects driving performance on the road. If this is fulfilled, the worry of fatigue can be eliminated.

For private vehicle drivers, adequate and quality rest is mandatory before driving long distances. Vehicles must also be prepared, maintained until they are suitable for long distances.

When fasting on the road, it is advisable to take frequent breaks. When tired, do not be embarrassed to take a short break or sleep for 10-15 minutes until the body feels fitter.

Gathering with loved ones is certainly missed by everyone. When on the road, safety is a shared responsibility. Checking personal and vehicle conditions for the community, and the police enforcing the law can contribute to reducing the number of accidents. However, humanizing humans, especially for transportation drivers, is an example of practicing goodness, realizing worship.