We’ve often wondered if underage teens are driving angkot minivans in the city, or if many angkot drivers just happen to look really really young. But, given the chaos and misadministration surrounding angkots, it’s always safe to assume that underage and unlicensed teenagers are often the ones behind the wheel.
And on Saturday, one person died and two people were severely injured in Depok because of it.
Fadli Kurniawan, a TV journalist, was killed when an angkot, driven by a still unnamed 15-year-old, drove off the road and crashed into a warung. Two others, Fadli Mufti and Mery Hula, were severely injured and are still being treated at Fatmawati Hospital in South Jakarta.
The police arrested the teenage driver and is investigating into who let him drive in the first place.
“The suspect is underage. He is just 15 years old and doesn’t have a driver’s license. Of course, we’ll look into who gave him the operational permit,” said Police Commissioner Sutomo, head of Depok Police’s Traffic Department today, as quoted by Vivanews.
The police ruled out that the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the incident.
“The suspect admitted to having a history of epilepsy. So at the time he had a relapse and wasn’t in control [of the angkot],” Sutomo said.
The suspect could face up to 5 years in prison for several traffic violations.
