Police in Bali have confirmed they have conducted a huge raid on illegal motorcycle drivers. Bali Police have seized 56 motorcycles from drivers who have illegally modified their vehicles, been found to be street racing, driving without a license or insurance, and breaking the rules of the road.
Police have seized vehicles from both locals and foreigners as part of the ‘no mercy’ approach to tackling bad behavior.
Bali Police have revealed the results of an intensive 3-day mission to crack down on illegal motorcycle drivers on the island, between 1st and 3rd May 2025.
The mission was carried out in Badung Regency, which is home to Bali’s most famous vacation resorts, including Uluwatu, Canggu, Legian, and Seminyak. Badung Police confirmed that 81 traffic violations were recorded and 56 vehicles seized as part of the mission.
Speaking to reporters Badung Police Chief AKBP M. Arif Batubara confirmed more details on the finding by the Head of the Badung Police Department, AKP I Wayan Sugianta. The operation targets to violation prone areas; Simpang Tiying Tutul in Pererenan Village and Jalan Raya Anggungan, Anggungan Village.
AKBP Batubara told reporters “In Anggungan Village, it is often used as a racetrack by drivers, including a group of motorcyclists with a brong exhaust and without completeness of licenses.” Of the 81 driving violations recorded during the operation, 30 were by foreigners and 51 by local drivers.
AKBP Batubara revealed that the 30 foreigners who were caught were not carrying complete vehicle documents and that most of them used motorcycles with non-standard exhaust modifications.
He noted “Most of the foreigners who are [pulled over] do not wear helmets, do not have a driver’s license, and carry motorcycles with the noise of the brong exhaust. They disturb the comfort and order of traffic, so we immediately take action.”
He added, “Of all the violators, as many as 70 drivers were also recorded as not wearing helmets while driving.”
While not carrying the correct driving license, or vehicle documents and illegal modifications were the primary causes of violations from forgers, it was street racing that was the most common violation amongst local drivers.
However, almost all were caught not wearing helmets. AKBP Batubara added, “They are often seen in convoys and doing illegal racing actions (tracks) at night, especially on quiet lanes and with little supervision such as Jalan Anggungan and its surroundings.”
He concluded, “Bali is not a place for wild racing. This concerns public safety and the image of tourist areas. We will continue to carry out routine regulation, especially in areas that are prone to violations.”
Tourists driving in Bali, especially those driving rented motorcycles, are urged to obey the rules of the road and to ensure that their vehicle is roadworthy before setting off on their journeys.
While many tourists rent vehicles from local providers who should ensure that the motorcycle is licences, taxed and insurance, ultimately it is the driver’s responsibility once they get out on the road.
Tourists traveling to Bali are also urged to ensure that they have complete insurance coverage before driving on the island.
Many standard health and travel insurance policies do not cover travelers in the event of a traffic collision should they be driving, period, but many that do offer coverage will find their policy is immediately invalidated if any local road laws are not obeyed, such as driving without the correct license, driving without a helmet, driving under the influence of alcohol, or driving an illegally modified vehicle.
Bali’s roads are notoriously dangerous, and every year, dozens of tourists are hospitalized as a result of traffic collisions. While many escape with just a few cuts and grazes, many are not so lucky.
Every year, tourists end up in the ICU with life-altering injuries, and some even lose their lives after collisions on Bali’s roads. To make matters worse, many find that their insurance is invalid due to some seemingly small reason, and many tourists still travel to Bali without any kind of insurance at all.
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Swen
Wednesday 7th of May 2025
Congrats, for 3 days Bali did actually something useful.
Peter
Wednesday 7th of May 2025
Fantastic effort guys ,about time and keep it up,how about deporting the tourists who are caught riding illegally
arthur
Wednesday 7th of May 2025
is there any book of "rules of the road"?
Exp
Wednesday 7th of May 2025
Confiscating 56 illegally modified motorbikes is nothing -- and this will soon be back on the road the way things are managed here.
The police need to be on the road daily and also cover local area where most of the motorbike owners live and modify their motorbikes. And they need to enforce severe punishments for lawbreakers. But then again "This is Bali" so the local heroes will remain untouchable.
LFS
Tuesday 6th of May 2025
I wish Bali Police would conduct a similar raid on local teenage drivers who have illegally modified their vehicles in the small towns along the coast south of Singaraja. Every weekend, these teenagers are street racing on modified scooters, exhaust pipes making alot of noise, driving without a helmet, license or insurance and breaking the rules of the road. We have reported this several time to the Kepala Desa's office. They have received many same reports but cannot do anything about this. Maybe time for the Police to conduct a similar raid in North Bali.