Bali Tourists Exploring By Motorcycle Warned To Respect All Road Laws

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Bali Police are on a mission to make the island’s roads safer. From cracking down on drivers not wearing helmets, illegal street racing, illegal parking, and drivers moving through the island on illegally modified vehicles or without the correct paperwork, violations are rife amongst both local road users and foreigners. 

Badung Police Chief, AKBP M Arif Batubara, has confirmed that he and his teams have been responding to illegal parking in the Mengwi area.

The Mengwi is the official name for the district, which starts at Pererenan Beach, spans inland to Sangeh Monkey Forest, and includes communities like Seseh and Gunung Pande.

It is an area popular with expats, digital nomads, and tourists and illegal parking along the Mengwi Terminal Road has been posing a risk to road users. 

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The Head of Public Relations of Badung Police, Ipda I Putu Sukarma, spoke to reporters after police conducted spot checks on illegally parked vehicles and shared with reporters “The police chief asked the Traffic Police to ticket violators. This law enforcement is carried out so that there is a deterrent effect. Our members have actually often conducted outreach there.”

Sukarma affirmed that Bali Police are aware of the impact of traffic congestion in this area, and are committed to finding solutions to the problem. He shared “Traffic jams have been happening everywhere. The Badung Police Traffic Unit often engineered traffic flow. One of the areas that regularly experiences traffic jams is along the Mengwi Terminal Road.”

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Bali Police are cracking down on illegally parked vehicles in the Mengwi and Canggu areas, as well as drivers who are not wearing helmets, have noisy illegally modified exhausts, and are suspected of not having Motor Vehicle Registration Numbers. 

Bali Police have been conducting a series of spot check operations over the last week with more expected to be carried out in the coming month. Road users, especially tourists, and foreigners in Bali, must be aware that police are conducting increased surveillance and patrols and to only drive if they are fully legally permitted to do so. This includes having the correct driving license, vehicle insurance, and vehicle paperwork, wearing a helmet, and observing Indonesian traffic laws.

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For tourists who are renting motorcycles on a short-term basis in order to explore the island on vacation, it is even more important to be diligent in checking the condition of the vehicle, requesting the vehicle’s paperwork, and ensuring that your own license is correct before driving away.

Ultimately the responsibility lands with the driver of the vehicle. 

Overnight on Friday, 9th May Badung Police conduct a targeted operation on Jalan Tiying Tutul, Pererenan Village, and Simpang Jalan Nelayan, Canggu Village. Hundreds of drivers were pulled over for vehicle and paperwork inspection and police also discovered more than they set out to find.

Officers also confirmed the arrest of two motorcyclists; an Indian who was caught carrying cocaine and an Indonesian citizen who was caught carrying party drugs.

In Pererenan Village, which incidentally has been named the Coolest Neighbourhood in the World in 2024, 80 road users were caught making major violations of Indonesian traffic law. Of the 80, 21 were foreigners. 8 were caught without helmets, 3 were caught with illegally modified exhausts known as brong, one without a driver’s license, and eight without vehicle registration certificates.

Police officers also seized 69 vehicles from Jalan Tiying Tutul that were deemed to be illegal. 

Over in Canggu Village on Jalan Simpang Jalan Nelayan, officers took action against 53 riders, including 22 foreign nationals. In total 45 people were caught without helmets, five people with brong exhausts and two people without driving licenses. 

Tourists visiting Bali and who intending on driving on the island must also check that their international health insurance provider and/or travel insurance provider covers medical care in the event of a traffic collision as in many cases policies have strict stipulations, and in many more cover for driving is not included at all.