Indonesia Expat
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How well do you know your Highway Code?

Neap Tides - Maximum spring tide levels at Tanjung Priok from 1920 to 2020

How well do you know your Highway Code?The Indonesian government updated the Road Safety and Public Transportation Act of 1992 with a more comprehensive act and implementing regulations in 2009. See if you can get more than 70% of the answers right. A lower score and you would probably fail your driving test if taken today!

1.    What is the period of validity of an Indonesian driving licence once issued?
Five (5) years, renewable by the taking of a new photograph, finger prints and payment of a fee (article 85, part 2). There appears to be no maximum age limit, no competency test nor retest to keep your licence above a certain age!

2.    What is the penalty for driving without a valid driver’s licence?
Four months in jail or Rp. 1 million (article 281).

3.    What is the minimum and maximum speed on a free flowing toll road?
Sixty (60) km/hr minimum (article 21, part 4; 106 (4)g ), and one hundred (100) km/hr maximum. The maximum speed limit of a section of road must be shown on a traffic sign. It can vary by type of road – rural, urban, inter-city highway and toll road.

4.    Are motorcyclists and their passengers required to wear an approved safety helmet?
Yes (article 291), except if they are wearing religious head gear, when no approved helmet is required (article 106 (8)).

5.    What is the maximum number of passengers a motorcycle without a sidecar can carry?
One (article 106 (8), article 292). The penalty for exceeding this is one month in jail or Rp. 250,000 irrespective of the number of passengers over the limit.

6.    Who is responsible for maintaining roads in Indonesia?
National roads: national government; provincial and municipal roads: relevant provincial and municipal authority; toll roads: the toll road company (article 20).

7.    What is the minimum age someone can drive a private car or a motorcycle legally in Indonesia?
Seventeen (17) years in both cases.

8.    What is the maximum speed limit in urban areas?
Eighty (80) km/hr, unless the regional or city government specifies a lower maximum limit such as near schools or dangerous road sections – but such reductions in the maximum speed limit are rarely stipulated; in fact requests from community groups, such as schools, are often rejected by the local government. Unlike toll roads, there is no minimum speed limit for main, arterial or feeder roads, whether urban or rural.

9.    What is the penalty for speeding?  
Indonesia does not have a graduated penalty points system as in many countries today, nor does it have speed cameras that record both your speed and your registration number; rather it has two regulations covering i) speeding and ii) racing on the road with a maximum penalty of one year in jail or Rp. 3 million fine (article 297). Motorbike riders with machines with a horse power of more than 200 cc may ignore the relevant limits as they know their machines are more powerful, can more easily overtake other traffic and so are faster than anything the Police are likely to use to chase after them, particularly outside major cities.

10.    Motor cyclists not switching on their headlamps at night is clearly an offence, but are they required to have their headlights on during the day?
Yes. The penalty for the former offence is one month in jail or Rp. 250,000; for the latter, 15 days in jail or Rp. 100,000 fine (article 107 (2); 293).

11.    What is the maximum penalty for someone involved in a road traffic accident who i) does not stop or ii) does not report the accident to the nearest police office without a proper reason, such as death?
Three years behind bars or Rp. 75 million fine (article 312).

12.    What is the penalty for not insuring your vehicle and passengers for personal injury?
Six months jail time or Rp. 1.5 million (article 313). No wonder the above jail terms are very rarely enforced.

13.    Which of these has priority of use of the road? Drivers of busses, lorries, private cars, motor bicycles, cyclists or pedestrians?
Pedestrian and cyclist safety have priority in use of the road (article 131 & 284). Maximum jail time of two months or Rp. 500,000.

14.    What is the penalty for not obeying the order of a policeman?
One month in jail or Rp. 250,000 (article 282).

15.    List the accessory equipment which a four wheel motor vehicle is legally obliged to carry?
A spare tyre, a wheel jack, a wheel brace, safety triangle and first aid kit. Penalty for non compliance is one month in jail or Rp. 250,000 fine (article 278).

16.    And finally, under what circumstances can you lose your driving licence or be required to pay compensation to victims?
For any traffic criminal act – all of the above are, under the current law, considered to be traffic criminal acts (article 314).

 

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE!

Spot The Difference

Spot the difference between these two photos and try to determine which will incur the bigger fine. Look at the answers to the quiz questions to find the actual value of the fine each picture scores. The Australian mum in the left-hand picture has a current valid Australian driving licence. The one in the right picture has, in addition, an International driving licence.

Picture 1. (a) Four people on a motorcycle (max 2); (b) one wearing bicycle helmet, not standard Indonesian motorcycle helmet; (c) front headlight not on; (d) no international drivers licence. Assume has STNK (vehicle registration document) on her.

Value of fine: (a) Rp. 250k, (b) Rp. 250k, (c) Rp. 100k, (d) Rp. 1m, total Rp. 1.6m.                             .

Period of prison term: (a) 1 month, (b) 1 month, (c) 15 days, (d) 4 months, total 6.5 months.

Picture 2. (a) Three people on a motorcycle (max 2); (b) two people not wearing helmets; (c) front headlight not on. Has valid international drivers licence. Assume has STNK on her.

Value of fine: (a) Rp. 250k, (b) Rp. 500k, (c) Rp. 100k, total Rp. 850k.                             .

Period of prison term: (a) 1 month, (b) 2 months, (c) 15 days, total 3.5 months.

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