Please take great care if you choose to drive a car or ride a motorbike in Bali. Most importantly, make sure the bike or vehicle is road registed, insured and in sound condition. Travel Insurance is a must have in Bali because without it and if you do become ill or involved in an accident, you will find yourself in deep trouble if you are unable to afford the huge hospital bills associated with these events.
The chances of dying or being seriously injured on Bali roads is far greater when compared to populations overseas of similar size.
England for instance has a population around 62 million and recorded 2,900 road deaths in 2010. By comparison, Bali with a population of around 3.9 million recorded 606 deaths, which has been on a steady increase in recent years while other countries are showing a continued decrease each year.
However these statistics are only part of the real story as pointed out recently by the head of the road trauma department at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar. He went on to describe a couple of tragic accidents, which could have been prevented. In one event two brothers who were travelling on a motorbike and ran a red light leaving the older brother dead and the younger brother seriously injured after colliding with a heavy Toyota vehicle. On another ocassion, an 18 year old female student was attempting to pass a truck but unfortunately the truck moved accross her path resulting in a collision and the poor girl loosing a leg.
Apparently, alcohol is a significant factor in accidents and also using mobile phones while riding or driving.
Most traffic accidents in Bali involve motorbikes which cause horrific injuries to the head with 1179 head injuries from 1200 accidents. Another interesting statistic is those who are most likely to die as a result of a road accident are tattooed young men between 18 and 24 years of age. Alcohol is a big factor with all of these deaths and horrible injuries. Motorbikes were involved in 70% of road deaths seen by Sanglah Hospital in 2010.
In the first year of the World Health Organization’s Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, it is evident Bali has a long way to go to reduce road trauma and deaths.
