Bali Police Are Cracking Down On Tourists Driving Irresponsibly  

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Officials in Bali are on the lookout for a group of male tourists who have been seen driving shirtless and without helmets in the Simpang Dewa Ruci area.

While this is an all too common occurrence, officials want to make an example out of these guys. 

A video of a group of five male tourists driving without helmets and without shirts along the busy highway has gone viral online.

Driving as a gang, a fellow road user captured the video and posted it online to catch the attention of the police and the wider community.

Many people are shocked by the footage while others are noting that this is sadly nothing new. 

The police are on to it. The Head of the Denpasar Police Traffic Unit, Commissioner I Made Teja Dwi Permana, said that his party has obtained the identity of the vehicle owner and will be talking to him to try to track down the guys who rented the scooters.

The Police Commissioner noted, “We are still tracing the identity of the foreigner who rented the vehicle.”

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Once they are tracked down, they will encounter the full force of the law. Police want to ensure that this kind of dangerous and illegal behavior in Bali is stamped out once and for all.

The police have clear evidence that the men have broken the law regarding the use of helmets for motorbike riders, which is regulated in Article 57 paragraph (1) in conjunction with paragraph (2) of the Law. Number 22 of 2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation.

They’ve also broken the law Article 106, paragraph (8) of the Law. Number 22 of 2009 explains that every person driving a motorbike and motorbike passengers must wear a helmet that meets national standards. They now face a fine or up to a month in prison for their actions. 

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Since the fines relate to breaking traffic laws, the men in the video could easily be off the hook. Yet, the question now is whether the Tourism Task Force will be called in and the group will be dealt with from an immigration perspective.

If that is the case, immigration may wish to deal with them on the basis that they have broken the conditions of their visa, notably not adhering to all laws, rules, and regulations in Indonesia.

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Officials want to crack down not just on the unruly driving habits of some foreigners but also on the bad habits of local drivers.

Alongside cracking down on road safety, local traffic police are also targeting motorcycle users who are driving with modified exhaust, known as ‘borong’ – not to be confused with ‘Barong,’ the mythical Balinese panther. 

Police all over the island are confiscating borongs from drivers, with police in Gianyar Regency reporting that they have seized over 65 in the last month alone.

The obnoxiously loud exhausts have been a hot topic for both local communities and tourists in Bali.

While police sometimes issue fines for drivers found using exceptionally noisy exhausts or confiscate them, in some instances, they also get drivers to do press-ups at the side of the road as a means of social ridicule for their actions. 

In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of young local men speed driving and street racing at night with their noisy borongs in tow.

The Police Chief AKP I Nengah Sona said, “Currently, the noise that disturbs us every night in [the area] is starting to decrease. However, we are not careless and continue to take action in accordance with the orders of the Bali Police Chief.”

In 2023, the number of collisions on Bali’s roads decreased; this resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, and hundreds more were seriously injured.

Traffic police in Bali are on a mission to make the roads safer by ensuring all drivers adhere to existing laws designed to protect the public.