JAKARTA: The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has revealed the cause of the deadly accident on the Jakarta-Cikampek Km 58 toll road which killed all 12 passengers on the Gran Max.
According to KNKT, this serious accident was caused by the driver of an unofficial travel car who worked beyond the specified time limit.
In a written press release published by detikNews on Thursday (11 April), the Chairman of the NTSC, Soerjanto Tjahjono, explained that the working time of the unofficial travel driver had exceeded the predetermined limit.
This is thought to cause a lack of rest time for drivers.
“Excess working time makes drivers tired. As a result, drivers experience microsleep very easily,” said Soerjanto.
Microsleep is an event where a person loses consciousness or attention because they feel tired or sleepy.
The duration of a microsleep generally lasts around a fraction of a second to 10 full seconds, but can be longer if the individual actually enters the sleep phase.
This situation can pose a risk of causing an accident, especially if it occurs while driving.
Soerjanto also highlighted that the vehicle had exceeded its passenger capacity, which should only be 9 passengers.
“This of course also adds to vehicle instability,” he added.
TURN BACK 4 DAYS JAKARTA-CIAMIS
The chronology of the Gran Max trip was also conveyed by the Chairman of the NTSC.
The Gran Max driver is known to drive back and forth in a span of 4 days with a very tight schedule, from Jakarta to Ciamis, a distance of 271.3 km.
On Friday, April 5 2024, the unofficial travel vehicle departed Ciamis for Jakarta at around 19:30 to pick up passengers.
Then on Saturday, April 6 2024, the vehicle departed Jakarta again at noon to take passengers to Ciamis and pick them up.
Next, on Sunday, April 7 2024, the driver left again in the morning from Ciamis for Jakarta to take passengers.
After resting, in the afternoon, the vehicle departed for Ciamis again to pick up passengers.
In the evening, the driver returns to Jakarta to pick up passengers around several cities starting from Jakarta at 00.00 WIB, then Depok at dawn at 02.00 WIB, Cilebut at 03.00 WIB, and at 05.30 in Bekasi.
The journey continued at 06.00 WIB, when the vehicle departed with 11 passengers for Ciamis. However, tragically, before it had reached its destination, the vehicle had an accident with a Primajasa bus at KM 58 towards Jakarta on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road at 07.04 WIB.
The KNKT warns to ensure the driver’s stamina and concentration are maintained before traveling long distances.
“Be honest with yourself if you are tired, rest before continuing your journey.”