As we approach 2016, the House of Representatives and the government have begun the process of listing the draft bills that should be passed during the upcoming year. With this end in mind, the House is currently gathering recommendations and input from all of the relevant stakeholders. One of the bills set for discussion over the next year is the revision of Law No. 22 of 2009 on Traffic and Road Transportation (“Traffic Law”), as proposed by the Indonesian Center for Law and Policy Studies (Pusat Studi Hukum & Kebijakan Indonesia – PSHK).
 
According to the PSHK however, the revision of the Traffic Law may not be listed under the National Legislation Program for 2015 – 2019,[1]despite the fact that this revision is viewed as crucial to overcoming the worsening traffic situation in Indonesia.[2]Indeed, the parlous condition of the country’s roads and traffic systems can be seen in Indonesia’s road-accident statistics. The sad fact is that accidents have become the third-largest cause of death in the country.[3]
 
Moreover, Indonesia is currently ranked fifth in the world in terms of its traffic-accident rate, and on average there are at 12 traffic accidents every hour across the country. In 2013 alone, there were 101,137 traffic accidents in Indonesia, which resulted in 25,157 deaths and financial losses of over IDR 254 billion.[4]Even worse, the Global Status Report on Road Safety published by the World Health Organization reveals that Indonesia is the country that has seen the highest increase in its accident rate in the world, with a rise of more than 80% over the last year.[5]