Bali Police Target Drivers Wearing Flip Flops Over Safety Concerns

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Traffic police in Bali have launched a two-week-long operation to improve awareness of road safety. The operation, launched by Tabanan Regency Police, will run from the 13th of June to the 26th of June and focuses specifically on moped drivers.

Over the course of the first 9-days of the campaign, Tabanan Police ticketed 144 people for not complying with traffic law. This ranged from not wearing a helmet to carrying more than one passenger on a moped. Others were ticketed for speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and many were pulled over because they were driving while wearing flip-flops. 

While 144 people were issued ticketed fines, Tabanan Police have reported that they have issued a further 488 people with verbal warnings. The Head of Tabanan Police AKP Kanisius Franata told the press that the operation was helping to improve road safety and educating the public about traffic law.

He explained how the most common reason for pulling people over was for having more than one passenger on a moped, and for driving without a helmet. He share that mothers on the school run were the most commonly pulled over of all demographics. He said “A lot of what we have seen are mothers who take their children to school, many don’t use helmets because the distance is close’. 

Wearing a helmet while driving a moped, or motorbike, in Indonesia is required by law no matter the driving distance. Passengers must also wear a helmet, the punishment is a fine of IDR 250,000 (USD 17) or a maximum of one month in prison. 

AKP Franata went on to explain how many of the traffic violations also were for drivers wearing flip-flops. He confirmed that of the over 100 people pulled over for wearing flip-flops while driving none had been issued with ticketed fines, but they had been issued formal verbal warnings. These verbal warnings remind drivers that should they get into an accident, wearing suitable shoes can help minimize injury. 

Regency Police Departments across Bali are making coordinated efforts to improve road safety. Every week there are dozens of collisions on the streets of Bali cause by all kinds of reasons. Police in Canggu released figures this week to confirm that in the first 6-months of 2022, five foreigners were killed in road collisions in the area.

This has led to police in the area launching a public awareness campaign, and placing banners throughout the area. The banners are written in English and targeted at tourists, they read ‘Wear A Helmet – Don’t Drink And Drive’. 

Police are putting considerable effort into tackling road safety within the local residential communities. On 18th June the Head of the Buleleng Police, AKBP Andrian Pramudianto released a statement to announce that Bali is banning smoking while driving in a bid to improve the concentration of road users. Now anyone caught smoking while driving in Bali faces up to a 3-months in prison or an IDR 750,000 (USD 50) fine. 

These developments come in the same week as British tourists Alexander Hoyle and Joella Grace Senior were involved in a devastating moped collision in Kerobokan. The couple remains in intensive care in Bali after sustaining life-changing injuries. Both experienced fractured vertebrae and have undergone extensive surgeries. Family and friends of the couple are now fundraising for their medical treatment as the couple faces a long road to recovery ahead. 

Travelers to Bali are reminded to take out comprehensive travel insurance before they travel and to check the minor details of their policy to ensure that they are covered to drive any vehicle while aboard. Travelers are also reminded that they must have an international driving license and are subject to the same road laws as Indonesian citizens.