JAKARTA (19/3) - Responding to the large number of buses that still use telolet horns and this has an impact on road safety, the Directorate General of Land Transportation has appealed to all bus operators to no longer use telolet horns.

Director of Road Transportation Facilities, Danto Restyawan, in his statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (19/3) expressed his condolences and concern over the accident involving young children and a Sinar Dempo bus with a telolet horn that occurred at the Merak Ferry Port.

He said that with recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), the use of telolet horns could cause the air or wind supply to run out, resulting in less than optimal vehicle brake function.

"The Directorate General of Land Transportation has issued a circular to all Transportation Services throughout Indonesia to pay more attention and check the use of additional components such as telolet horns on every public transportation when carrying out periodic tests," he said.

His party also appealed to every examiner not to pass public transportation vehicles that commit violations such as installing telolet horns. Rules regarding the use of horns have also been regulated in Government Regulation Number 55 of 2012 concerning Vehicles.

"In article 69 it is stated that the lowest sound of the horn is 83 decibels or the highest is 118 decibels and if you violate it you will be subject to a fine of IDR 500 thousand," said Danto.

In this case, the Directorate General of Land Transportation will continue to remind all bus operators not to comply with the wishes of the public, especially children, to install and sound the telolet horn because it is dangerous and has the potential to cause accidents on the road.

"We will increase supervision during periodic vehicle testing and ask the police to take action against bus operators who violate the provisions so that repeated incidents do not occur," he concluded. (ALV/WBW/AZN)