The dogs bark, the bell rings, I shuffle to the door in my pajamas to discover a Jakarta police officer who stammers, “Madam, hospital.” Fifteen minutes later, the drawer slides open. Yes, that is my husband on the morgue tray. I touch his face; he is still warm. ‘Get up,’ I think. I kiss his forehead. ‘Get up!’ I want to shout. Larger than life, a force of nature — how can a great man fit in such a small space? Every plan, every hope, and every dream for the rest of my life died with him in the instant our car crumpled like an accordion, and so I become a widow of the road.
This tragedy of road safety, so often a peripheral issue, became my issue. Over the last 18 months since my husband died, I have learned that I am not alone. Tragedy has made road safety an issue for many others—Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Association for Safe International Road Travel, and individuals who have yet to find a voice amidst their lingering grief. I am a researcher and so I have looked into who is doing what, what is the progress, what are the goals, and what I can do to assist.