Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Adang Firman said police were considering issuing a regulation prohibiting the use of cellular phones while operating a motor vehicle. Under the 1999 Law on Police, they have the authority to issue such regulations.

"We will have to carry out an evaluation of the main causes of traffic accidents and how much does cellular phone usage while driving contribute to the number of accidents," he said.

He said a regulation prohibiting using phones while driving would be based on the evaluation's results.

According to data from Jakarta Police Traffic Directory, in the first half of 2006, the city saw a total of 2,256 traffic accidents, in which 597 people died. Some 1,191 accidents were caused by negligence, including reckless driving, driver fatigue and using cellular phones.

Adang said that the lack of laws on the matter meant that drivers using phones were yet to be punished.

One motorist, Bobby Alvianto, 24, who said he frequently used his cellular phone while driving, both for phone calls and text messages, said people would not stop doing so unless there was the threat of a punishment.

"It's a good idea, but it won't be effective without punishment, because, you know, people in our society will only drop their bad habits if they are threatened with a severe punishment," he said.

Amelia Dewi Respati, 25, said the police should release statistical data that showed the danger of driving while using a cellular phone. "[It is meant] to make people aware of the danger," she said.

Separately, the chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society Bambang Susantono told The Jakarta Post that to change drivers' habits, the police needed to introduce the prohibition gradually.

The Jakarta Post

Asia News Network

Jakarta