Horrific Accident In Bali Reminds Tourists Of Dangers Of Walking On Roadsides

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A Swiss national was killed in Bali during a horrific accident on Saturday 12th, October.

The incident took place just outside of the tourism village of Kintamani when the tourist and his driver pulled over to admire the view.

An oncoming truck is believed to have experienced brake failure, resulting in a catastrophic collision. 

The Head of the Traffic Accident Unit of Bangli Police, Ipda Ketut Karya, has confirmed the events with the press. The incident took place on Saturday afternoon on the Kintamani – Singaraja Highway in Bantang Village close to Kintamani.

The 56-year-old Swiss tourist, known by his initials DMKW, was being driven by a taxi driver from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International to the diving resort of Bondalem in Buleleng Regency.

Spotting a viewpoint, the driver and DMKW pulled over to take photos and walked along the roadside to admire the view. 

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Karya explained, “A foreigner who had just been picked up from the airport was going to Bondalem, in the middle of the trip, asked to stop and get out of the vehicle to capture the view by taking photos of the scenery.”

As the pair were taking photos at the roadside, an oncoming flatbed truck driving downhill carrying building materials experienced brake failure.

The driver, a 35-year-old man from East Kalimantan Province, as well as two passengers from West Nusa Tenggara Province and East Java Province, were also in the vehicle.

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The driver is reported to have lost control of the truck and veered off the road, hitting DMKW and crashing 5m into a ravine.

Karya told reporters,  “The pedestrian, who was a foreign national, suffered an open wound to the head and died on the way to the hospital.”

He confirmed that the driver suffered abrasions on his knees and bruises on his hands, and the passengers suffered bruises on their chests.

He noted, “The driver and passengers are now being treated at Wangaya Hospital, Denpasar.”

The Swiss consulate is now working with Balinese authorities to manage the case moving forward. 

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Bali’s roads are increasingly dangerous for both locals and foreigners, drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

At the end of 2023, it was revealed that Bali’s roads were the second most dangerous in all of Indonesia, with only East Kalimantan Province recording more collisions and incidents on the roads. 

Police and traffic officers are working to make Bali’s roads safer for the public and are carrying out regular spot checks on drivers in busy tourism resort areas.

Traffic officers are regularly pulling over both local and foreign drivers to check their licenses, vehicle registration, and roadworthy certificates and ensure motorcycle riders are wearing helmets and shoes. 

In 2023, the number of reported collisions in Bali doubled, and it should be noted that not all collisions are reported to the authorities, making the real figures markedly higher.

The number of deaths on Bali’s roads has also risen significantly, and while data for 2024 is still being collated, it is unlikely to show a reduction in road traffic collisions.

In statements issued in late 2023, the Bali Police Chief Inspector General Ida Bagus Kade Putra Narendra confirmed that in 2023 there were 7,224 reported traffic incidents on Bali’s road, a 100% increase on 2022.

He also tragically confirmed that the number of deaths on Bali’s roads also increased in 2023 to a total of 632 deaths, an increase of 25. A staggering 86% of these collisions involved motorcycles.

This month, the Head of Badung Police, AKP Wayan Sugianta, has been out on patrol with his teams in the Canggu area. He and his team are doubling down on their commitment to keep road users safe and traffic flowing well in Bali’s top resorts. 

AKP Sugianta explained, “In order to create security, safety, order, and smooth traffic in the jurisdiction of the Badung Police, we from the Traffic Unit take action against visible violations that can cause [disturbances]. For example, foreigners do not wear helmets, Indonesians who use brong exhausts, and foreigners who have two or three passengers.”