710 people will die due to traffic accidents in Aceh in 2023.

The Traffic Directorate (Ditlantas) of the Aceh Regional Police (Polda) recorded that 710 people died as a result of traffic accidents (laka lantas) in Aceh in 2023. This number is up 5 percent compared to last year, as many as 677 people.

"The total cases we handle also increased by 9 percent. "Last year there were around 3,495 cases, now there are 3,528 cases," said the Director of Traffic (Dirlantas) of the Aceh Regional Police (Polda), Kombes Muhammad Iqbal Alqudusy, in a written statement, Friday, December 29 2023.

Iqbal said that among the many cases of traffic accidents, serious injury victims decreased by 246 people, or a decrease of 9 percent compared to 2022, which was 271 cases. Meanwhile, the number of victims with minor injuries was 5,207, compared to 5,233 last year.

Iqbal said the total material losses due to traffic accidents this year reached IDR 10.7 billion. This amount increased by IDR 2.1 billion from last year's IDR 8.6 billion.

"The highest number of traffic accidents occurred in Banda Aceh, namely 683 cases. "Then followed by Bireuen with 483 cases, East Aceh with 424 cases and Pidie with 211 cases," he said.

Apart from that, Iqbal said that the majority of traffic accident victims were students, with 1,663 cases. Then private employees had 892 cases, students had 745 cases, farmers had 630 cases, civil servants had 323 cases, and traders had 97 cases. Then, there were 83 cases of workers, 75 cases of drivers, 35 cases of the Police, and 35 cases of the TNI.

"The dominant number of victims involved in traffic accidents aged 16-30 years was 2,198 people," he said.

Driver compliance with traffic on the road is still quite low, which is the main factor causing accident fatalities in Aceh

"Drivers should be careful when traveling. Before traveling, check the vehicle. Then use a helmet when riding a two-wheeled vehicle, and apply the ethic of mutual respect between fellow road users, don't go against the flow, don't ride in threes, and obey traffic signs," said Iqbal

Iqbal also said that the Aceh Regional Police and staff in synergy with stakeholders continue to make every effort to reduce the fatality rate on the highway.

"Early education, education among students, communities and the public along with appeals, continuous traffic engineering and strict law enforcement for fatal violations remain the main priority," concluded Iqbal.