Govt Rule May Ticket Drivers Distracted by GPS Map
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6 February 2019 09:52 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Ministry’s director general of land transportation Budi Setiyadi announced that police are entitled to ticket road users who drive while being occupied by a GPS unit.
He explained that Ministry’s Decree No. 22/2009 on road traffic requires drivers of any vehicle to concentrate on driving in a respectable manner.
“This means that drivers should not be hampered by distractions to the body, eyesight, and hearing. Driving with a GPS is considered a distraction,” said Budi in Surabaya on Tuesday.
The minister asserted that the use of navigating oneself with a GPS is not barred as long as there is another person present to act as a navigator for the driver.
“If there are no [navigators] then you should stop to the side,” he explained. Budi said that monitoring such behavior still poses a challenge for authorities.
Previously, Transportation Minister called for drivers to briefly stop to the side of the road upon operating a GPS unit, which he said applies to both car drivers and motorcycle drivers. “GPS is not banned. It’s when you drive, you could surely stop for a minute to check the map. No need to make a controversy out of it,” said Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.
ANTARA
