"Road Rage" Cases in Jakarta

There is an e-mail currently spreading in some Indonesian mailing lists about a road rage case involving a black Honda CR-V in Jakarta's expressway. The e-mail is in Bahasa Indonesia, and a copy of the e-mail can be found here.

Of course, we are not able to confirm whether the case is really true or not, in fact, quite a lot of Indonesian bloggers are discussing about the issue here (in Bahasa Indonesia, unfortunately). However, this is a sign that road rage cases in Indonesia, especially in its big cities such as Jakarta, are growing. I agree that road rage cases happen anywhere in the world, however I believe that the number of cases in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, is much higher than other big cities around the region, such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok. I noticed that these might be the reasons of the high road rage cases in Jakarta:

1. Unclear traffic rules, and even if there are rules, they are not fully enforced and implemented.
2. Jakarta's very bad traffic, increasing the stress level of Jakarta's drivers.
3. Jakarta drivers' bad driving culture and habit, always kiasu and inconsiderate to other drivers.

And, unfortunately, the third problem has become more common on almost all Jakarta drivers, regardless whether he's a minibus driver or a high-rank government official.

Here are some tips if you have to drive in Jakarta, especially for those who are used to drive in built-up cities such as in Singapore or cities in Australia:

1. Drive relaxedly, no need to hurry. Plan your journey, allow some extra time to accommodate some unexpected traffic jams, which unfortunately are common in Jakarta.
2. Traffic jams are common in Jakarta, don't allow traffic jams to increase your stress level.
3. Drive defensively, to avoid road rage. Cutting off other cars is the most common issue in Jakarta which can lead to road rage.

Overall, defensive driving is the best way to avoid road rage, or to avoid become a victim of road rage.

[Indonesian version]