Mudik: Three Car Accidents Occurred on Brebes - Batang Toll Road

TEMPO.CO,  Batang - National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) East Java chapter recorded three car accidents that happened at the newly opened Brebes - Batang toll road during a 24-hour timespan.

“All of the accidents took place on the Gringsing toll road segment,” said Basarnas spokesman Zulhawari Agustianto on Friday, June 23.

Read: Five Helicopters on Standby at Brebes - Batang Toll Road

Zulhawari said that the first accident happened to a mudik traveler from Jakarta to Klaten. The car he drove went off-course and got stuck in the gravels at the side of the road after the driver unintentionally fell asleep behind the wheel.

Just a couple of hours following the first accident, an SUV blew a front tire and was unable to continue its journey. The third accident was also caused by a flat tire, “the Basarnas team came to assist the driver in changing the tire that got slashed,” said Zulhawari.

He argued that the condition of the emergency toll-road was not ready to be used by a large number of cars under normal circumstances.

Read: Traffic Accident Mostly Caused by Vehicles Roadworthiness factor

“The road is twisty, stuffed with elevation changes, and is still dominated by gravels which could potentially cause problems for home comers that are traveling through this route,” Zulhawari explained.

Another accident took place at the Brebes toll exit, known as Brexit, on the same day. An SUV driven by Ega (46) ended upside-down after a near-miss crash with a car parked on the side of the Pejagan-east Brebes toll road. “Thankfully, there were no fatalities in the accident,” he said.

MUHAMMAD IRSYAM FAIZ