Job Discussion Forums

indotraveler · Joined: 16 Mar 2008 Posts: 1 Location: asia, usa, etc

Hi gang, was wondering if anyone has any stories of foreigners having vehicle accidents in Indonesia. I recently read the postings about getting SIMs, etc and am always interested in the 'other costs' of driving in Indo.
My personal experience goes back to the early 1980's through most of the 1990's and some fairly exciting things could happen if someone were hit by a car, or even if a fender-bender occurred.
peace to all,
indotraveler.

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

In road accidents the foreigner is usually assumed to be the guilty party.

Atoms for Peace · Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 135 Location: NKRI

The most important thing to remember is that as a foreigner, any accident is automatically your fault, no matter how it happened. The police will agree

Llamalicious · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:30 am Post subject:

If the foreigner involved is me, it almost always is my fault.

Chancellor

guruengerish · Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Posts: 424 Location: Australia

Yup, all the above are correct! I had been warned that this might be the case, and to always have a local guy driving where possible.

Eventually, it happened to me: I was riding a motor bike on a busy road, when a woman and her kid stepped off the kerb and straight into my bike. I was going quite slow, as it was a busy road, and the kid had a small cut on his forehead, requiring a stitch or two. The police took my keys and then sent the lady and her kid to the clinic, and they were back shortly, with stitches in, and a bill for Rp65,000.

The boy's father had been contacted, and he marched into the police station, and seeing me, announced "ah, Bule yang kaya" (A rich westerner). I soon set him straight, and warned him that his wife was on a path to suicide if he let her loose in the traffic again.

The police officer told me I had to pay Rp75,000, presumably the extra was for 'expenses', and no question of guilt. It was mine automatically.

If you have a car, get a driver. It works out cheaper in the end.

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

laughing_magpie06 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 282

malu, it is true that Indonesia is a much cheaper country overall than anywhere in the west. That isn't the point here.
The problem is that foreigners in Indonesia, especially white ones, are immediately charged more than locals simply for being mmmm foreigners.
Now if the police in the UK nabbed a foreigner in a road accident and charged him / her 300 GBP instead of the 250 that you quoted, i'm pretty sure all hell would break loose there.
Am I right?

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

You are right, and I'm certainly not defending the status quo here - I just couldn't understand the guru's economic logic.

guruengerish · Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Posts: 424 Location: Australia

I'm not too sure where there's a problem with this. As I said, the PUSKESMAS fees were Rp65,000, to which the police added an extra Rp10,000. I'm not so sure that the fees were in fact Rp65,000, but the mother had a receipt.

The whole point of course is that the mother was not admonished for being so stupid as to step into a line of traffic without looking, but I had to carry the cost as I was a foreigner.

The police acted as instant judge, jury and treasury. BTW: I was told I could wait until Monday and have a legal person hear me out, but the motor bike would stay in police custody over the weekend Sad

The amounts in terms of GBP or AU$ are peanuts of course, and as pointed out, it would cost a helluva lot more in our own countries.

pauleslteacher1 · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 108 Location: Indonesia

I bought s new Terios last year and have a 2 year payment plan with insurance for any accidents... may fault or not.. After I pay off my car off I will continue to get insurance... seems simple to me..

Paul

pauleslteacher1 · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 108 Location: Indonesia

Oops...

It should read "I bought a new... "

pauleslteacher1 · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 108 Location: Indonesia

Yikes...

"my fault or not"... a bit embarrassing that is..

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

Perhaps a little more tonic and a little less gin, Paul.

tanyakenapa · Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Batavia

At all the incidents following my indonesian husband was driving, not accidents, but....

We just paid 50 thousand tonight for "apparently going thru a red light" at Pancoran...

two weeks ago we paid 75 thousand for the "same apparent reason" at the roundabout where Ratu Plaza is.

A month before that, we were stopped again, for "apparently going thru another red light" at mampang Jln tendean intersection, but got off with a warning for that one...

3 times unlucky.