POLICE: 427 KILLED IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DURING PAST 10 DAYS

Jakarta, Oct 4 (ANTARA) - A total of 427 people died and 1,408 others were seriously and lightly injured in traffic accidents across the country during the past 10 days - a period marked by Idul Fitri exoduses from big cities to home towns or villages, police said.
The figures were collected by police in their "Operation Ketupat" which was conducted specially to maintain public order and security during the Idul Fitri holiday season, chief public relations officer at the National Police Headquarters, Inspector General Abubakar Nataprawira, said here Saturday.

"The figures are on the period Sept 25 - Oct 4, 2008. The number may increase since the operation is not yet over," he said.

Apart from the 427 fatalities, 524 people suffered serious and 884 people minor injuries. The accidents also caused material damage estimated at a total of Rp 561 million.
The total number of accidents was 970 of which 118 were 'hit-and-run' cases, Nataprawira said, adding that in most of the cases the cause was 'human error.'
According to the police records, the accidents involved a total of 32,291 motor vehicles.***3***