increasing deaths by accidents of foreigners in bali
Head of Public Information Adj. Sr. Comr. Sri Harmiti has recently confirmed 15 foreigners being involved in severe accidents in Bali in the first 4 months of this year. Four of those foreigners died in accidents while 11 sustained serious injuries, she said.
This increasing number of accidents caught the attention of Bali's police to conduct a thorough investigation to find the reason behind it. What they figured out was that since riding a motorbike is the most common thing in Bali, most foreigners who have never ever driven a motorcycle or seldom driven in their country, ride it here just for fun. Most of these rentals are being done in the famous tourist areas of Ubud, Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu.
Recently in May a motorbike accident claimed a life of Australian Tourist Adrian L. Newton. He crashed his motorbike in a truck on Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai Denpasar. He was wearing a helmet but not properly, the head injuries cost him his life as the helmet came off before the impact.
The same reason is suspected behind the deaths of other foreigners who lost their life. Denpasar Traffic Police chief Comr. I Nyoman Nuryana summarized in his recent interview that most accidents are caused by the foreigners themselves as they lose control of the vehicle and slip or crash into something in front of them.
They are reconsidering the policies of renting the bikes, as currently you can rent a bike for as low as $3 to $5 for a whole day and all tourists need to show is their passports. The Sanglah Hospital’s forensic medicine unit head Ida Bagus Putu Alit has also confirmed that that crash victims mostly died because they weren't wearing a helmet.
So far Bali police has recorded a total of 486 traffic accidents since January to April. 142 people have died while 130 suffered severe injuries and 520 suffered minor injuries. The financial losses are around Rp 1.1 Billion.
To control this police are now continuously conducting raids on locals and tourists on motorbikes and they will continue to do so until a law is properly placed and proper awareness is spread on the Island.