An elderly driver crashed his car into two other vehicles when he drove on the wrong side of a busy Jakarta highway, with police not pressing charges against him on account that he suffers from dementia.
Footage of the dangerous traffic violation, which was taken on Saturday, went viral over the weekend, showing a black Mercedes-Benz driving against the flow of traffic on the Cakung, East Jakarta section of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR).
After traveling a considerable distance, the Benz eventually crashed head-on into a Honda Mobilio and a Toyota Innova. The Mobilio driver reportedly suffered a minor head injury and was taken to a nearby hospital.
Police said the Benz driver, who has been identified as a 66-year-old Bekasi man who suffers from dementia, was in a state of confusion when he went behind the wheel. He was not in possession of an STNK (vehicle registration certificate) or a SIM (driver’s license) at the time.
Police have not said whether or not he still holds a valid SIM considering his condition.
“We returned him to his family. Maybe we will continue the investigation on Monday, and he has to be accompanied by a psychiatrist,” Jakarta Metro Police spokesman Argo Wiyono said yesterday, adding that no charges are being filed against him at the moment.
“[His family said that] at home, he has to really turn up the volume of the TV. His family said he is already senile.”
The Benz driver’s family has reportedly agreed to cover medical bills and pay for damages that resulted from the crash.
