Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – An expert recently said that Indonesia needed to fix its driving license issuance system following the deadly pileup at the Ciawi tollgate earlier this week.

Indonesia continues to see cases of deadly pileups, many taking place in tollways. Most recently, a pileup occurred at the Ciawi 2 Tollgate on Tuesday night, causing 8 fatalities and leaving 11 people injured. Ruth Hanna Simatupang, an analyst and ex-investigator at the National Transportation Safety Committee, said that many drivers were still unable to fully comprehend the type of vehicle that they drive. This is particularly common among "temporary drivers", namely people hired to be a substitute for the actual drivers.

"There are drivers, particularly temporary drivers, who do not understand the engine of the vehicle [that they are driving], but they are still allowed to drive. How can they get the driving license? We need to pay attention to this to prevent similar accidents from happening," Ruth told Beritasatu.com on Wednesday.

Ruth questioned the effectiveness of the driving license system, particularly for heavy-duty vehicles, which often get into accidents. Many of these drivers do not understand the traffic lights, brakes, and dashboard indicators despite having to take tests before getting a license. Heavy truck drivers even have to take many tests and secure different types of licenses at that.

"Are those licensed drivers really up to the standards or do they get the permit without having enough knowledge?" she said.

Ruth called for some improvements to the existing driving license system.

"[The government] often blames the road conditions and other external factors when accidents like this happen. But the root cause of such accidents is giving driving licenses to the people who do not deserve them," she said.

The police force, which is in charge of the license issuance, also needs to be open to criticisms, according to Ruth.

Romino Ardano, the director for traffic at the West Java police, said that his team would check the truck driver's history and qualifications. "We will check the driver's license history, including how long he has had this license and their history on the road," Romino said, while adding that the investigation is underway.

The Ciawi tollgate pileup involved a truck carrying gallons of water and six cars. The Transportation Ministry said that the truck had lost control due to brake failure, thus causing it to collide with the vehicles that were making e-toll payments.

The 31-year-old truck driver Bendi Wijaya is currently in intensive care at the RSUD Ciawi hospital. Bendi had departed from the gallon station on Tuesday night at around 9 p.m. He was en route to Tangerang with three other trucks. Bendi comes from Sukabumi. He lives in a small flat with his wife and a 2-month-old baby. Bendi's parent-in-law Endang Suhendar said that the truck driver was the family's breadwinner.

"Perhaps this is fate. We would like to ask for the forgiveness of the families of the victims," Endang said.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-needs-to-stop-giving-bad-drivers-a-driving-licens