Driving in Indonesia

Keeping to the theme of driving in Indonesia.

The Jakarta Post reported last Saturday that a Brazilian fella has found himself in jail for killing a person in Legian, Bali, in a hit and run. In truth, the JP actually headlined with "... Brazilian driver kills motorists" then went on to say that he killed one person and put another 4 people in hospital.

Guilherme Guedo was apparently in Bali on business and after a night out on the turps decided that he needed to have some fun. Some reports suggest he tried to jack a motorbike from some unsuspecting Balinese and then in the end managed to steal a laundry van. I am wondering what kind of business this fella is in, just as a matter of interest, and how drunk do you have to be to want to steal a laundry van and then decide to drive against the flow of the traffic?

Interestingly, the news does not seem to mention the business or the age of Guedo but the Police Chief of Denpasar is intent that Guedo's family must pay for the medical expenses of the victims. On this front I am not sure how this would work. I also wonder why the family should pay for the crimes of adult siblings. Why should Guedo not be personally responsible for his actions?

Guedo has been charged with stealing the van and dangerous driving resulting in death. He is liable for a stint in an Indonesian jail of up to 10 years. It seems that 4.1kg of weed is a far more serious offense than drinking and driving and then killing someone. I wonder whether the rationale is that the weed could potentially kill more people and therefore is a more serious crime?

Drink and drive, idiot!