"Do not insist on relying on unofficial travel agents to travel. If we find those traveling with such agents, we might force them to turn around."
Tangerang (ANTARA) - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has urged the National Police (Polri) to tighten the monitoring of unofficial or non-procedural travel agents to prevent accidents such as the recent one on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road, which claimed 12 lives.

"I would like to ask Polri to carry out law enforcement against unofficial travel agents," he said in Tangerang, Banten, on Friday.

He noted that the deadly accident on Monday (April 8, 2024) has prompted all transportation stakeholders in Indonesia to conduct evaluations.

The minister urged government officials, police officers, and travel agents to evaluate and tighten the monitoring of the implementation of safety standards to protect passengers from accidents.

As per the investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), he said, the accident on Monday was triggered by a minibus belonging to an unofficial travel agent, which was being driven by an overworked driver.

"The accident earlier involved an unofficial travel agent. There were 12 people (in the car). The driver was traveling for four consecutive days," he pointed out.

He then appealed to Eid travelers to pick only official and credible travel agents to enjoy a higher level of safety while traveling.

"Do not insist on relying on unofficial travel agents to travel. If we find those traveling with such agents, we might force them to turn around," he warned.

Earlier, on Thursday (April 11), KNKT head Soerjanto Tjahjono said in a written statement that one of the causes of the accident on KM 58 of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road was an overworked driver.

"If we are driving in an exhausted condition, our ability to concentrate and control vehicles will weaken. In such a condition, drivers will be highly susceptible to microsleep," he explained.

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Translator: Azmi S, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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