JAKARTA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia remains committed to its plan to phase out oversized and overloaded trucks in an effort to improve safety on highways and toll roads.
The country's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, expressed hope on Tuesday that the archipelago would eliminate oversized and overloaded trucks by next year, as his ministry is drafting a presidential regulation on logistics and supply chain management.
According to him, the use of such trucks is highly problematic, not only leading to fatal traffic accidents but also causing significant road damage.
He stated that the regulation is expected to be issued soon.
"Hopefully, this regulation will drastically reduce the number of accidents, fatalities, and material losses caused by these incidents," the senior minister said.
Deadly road accidents are common in the Southeast Asian country due to overloading, poor road conditions, and reckless driving.
In February, eight people were killed in West Java province after an overloaded truck suffered brake failure, colliding with two cars at a tollgate and causing severe damage. ■
