Road Traffic Signs and Rules in The New Norma Era
28 July, 2020
The spread of coronavirus is yet to be contained in Indonesia. Therefore, people are asked to adapt to the new normal era, which is aimed to resume activities while establishing health protocols, including some adapted traffic rules.
Rules in The Car
When driving a car, if the driver and passenger do not come from the same family, it is forbidden to reach the full passenger capacity of the car. The number of people that can be carried in one car should not exceed 50% of the maximum capacity in that case. Meanwhile, if passengers and drivers come from one family, then it’s okay to reach the maximum capacity.
Maintaining distance and wearing masks are also applied to a car’s driver. In the new normal era, there are a number of new traffic signs that must be followed by road users.
For instance, the application of odd-even number vehicles in the Capital City of Jakarta. Before the spread of coronavirus to other parts of Indonesia, the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta imposed even-odd systems on several streets in the capital city during morning and evening rush hours.
Cars with odd license numbers could only pass on odd dates and vice versa. The application of the odd-even system was done so that more people would switch to using public transportation.
Also read: Car Driving Tips For A Beginner
Why Did The Odd-Even System Removed?
Upon the spread of coronavirus, the odd-even system was removed. This approach was deliberately taken to reduce the density of public transportation use by encouraging people to use their private vehicles. Why was this approach taken?
Full public transportation imposes great potential for faster and easier coronavirus transmission. It is concerned that the infection rate will continue to rise if the number of public transportation passengers remains large.
Therefore, you may notice that even during the Large-Scale Social Restriction (PSBB), Jakarta’s stress is full of vehicles and even jammed in some places. Since the first PSBB was implemented up until now, the odd-even number system remains inapplicable. However, it should be noted that even though the system is not yet in force, the police will still act against traffic violators.
Based on information from the police, there are at least 15 types of violations of traffic signs that will be penalized, as can be seen below.
- Using handphone while Driving a vehicle
- Driving a vehicle on the sidewalk
- Driving a vehicle against the traffic flow
- Driving a vehicle on the busway lane
- Driving a vehicle across the roadside
- Motorcycle entering or crossing the highway.
- Motorcycle crossing non-highway overpass
- Driving a vehicle and violating the rules of the command or prohibition as is stated by means of a traffic signal (APILL).
- Drivers not giving priority to pedestrians who obtain primary rights to take precedence
- Exceeding the driving speed limit
- Driving a vehicle without wearing a national standard helmet
- Driving a vehicle without turning on the headlights at night
- Driving a vehicle and letting any passengers not wearing helmets
- Driving a vehicle at a railroad crossing and is not stopping when the sound signal is on and the railroad doorstop begins to close
- Driving a vehicle and racing on the road
To keep you and your family away from the coronavirus while also practicing safe driving, remember to follow all the traffic signs and rules!
