Fault in JLNT Casablanca Accident: Against Traffic

An unfortunate accident occurred on the Non-Toll Elevated Road (JLNT) Casablanca in Jakarta involving a Toyota Fortuner and a motorcyclist going against the flow of traffic. The incident resulted in the motorcyclist’s death. It took place on Sunday (18/2/2024).

In a video circulating online, the victim is seen lying lifeless on JLNT Casablanca, with the motorcycle severely damaged.

It is reported that the victim, along with another motorcyclist, decided to go against the flow of traffic on JLNT Casablanca to avoid police officers. However, a car coming from the opposite direction collided with them.

The Head of Traffic Accident Division at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Kompol Diella Kartika Artha, stated that the victim, identified as MAI, and their companion, F, were riding their motorcycles from east to west on the Non-Toll Elevated Road Casablanca (Kampung Melayu-Tanah Abang) in South Jakarta.

“Because at the time of the incident, there was a routine patrol activity being carried out by the Traffic Police of South Jakarta to anticipate illegal street racing and other activities,” she added.

On the other hand, it is reported that the driver of the Fortuner left the scene after the incident. The police have now apprehended the Fortuner driver involved in the fatal accident.

“According to witnesses at the scene, the motorcycle rider was going against the flow of traffic and was then hit by the Fortuner. Shortly after that, the car left the scene,” said Diella Kartika.

Who is at fault in this incident? According to driving safety practitioner and founder and instructor of Jakarta Defensive Driving Consulting (JDDC) Jusri Pulubuhu, determining fault is a matter for the courts, considering various factors. However, there is an important lesson to be learned from this incident.

“It should be noted that this should be a lesson for motorcyclists that there are prohibitions, such as not entering certain areas or going against the flow of traffic. Because specific cases of going against the flow of traffic, especially on the Casablanca flyover, are not uncommon. There was a case where a husband and wife jumped off the flyover with a pregnant woman and there have been collisions like this before. And all of them were caused by going against the flow of traffic,” explained Jusri to VUONS on Monday (19/2/2024).

Jusri emphasized that motorcyclists should not take shortcuts by going against the flow of traffic or violating traffic rules for temporary convenience and comfort. Because if an accident occurs, the effects can be widespread. It can even lead to poverty.

“The suffering that occurs is not only to the victims but also to their families. Because this accident leads to poverty. For example, if the breadwinner of the family dies, then the chain of dreams for the family may be broken,” Jusri elaborated.

On the other hand, the actions of the Fortuner driver who left the scene of the accident are also questioned. The reasons for the Fortuner driver leaving the scene must be investigated.

“There are two groups, one deliberately runs away to avoid the law, the other runs away because they are afraid of being beaten by the crowd. So we don’t know, this needs to be investigated. The best thing is if there are victims, they should help, although they cannot do it indiscriminately, they should take them to the hospital,” said Jusri.

Furthermore, the readiness of the Fortuner driver to avoid the accident should also be investigated further. Because, according to the rules, the driver should be ready to handle everything around them.

“We see that factually the Fortuner was in the correct lane, in the correct direction. This needs to be investigated. Because here there are victims and fatalities. There is a note in Traffic Law No. 22 of 2009, the driver should be ready for everything in front of them. So full concentration is required. They should handle any danger in front of them well,” said Jusri.

“Maybe the Fortuner driver was not alert while driving. Maybe it’s also unreasonable not to be alert, for example, if the distance between the Fortuner driver and the motorcyclist is too close. But if he is from 200 meters, 300 meters away and he already sees a motorcycle turning around, and then there are many cases where we see someone making a mistake, we seem to intimidate them, tailgate them, scare them so that they learn their lesson, we act as if we can judge them as wrong. The police must investigate in this case,” he explained.