The police officers charged with managing Jakarta's horrendous traffic have one of the toughest jobs in town.

But the dangers are usually from inhaling exhaust or being hit by cars — not from being attacked by motorists.

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Road rage incidents are rare here.

That is one of the reasons why an extraordinary video of a woman assaulting a traffic policeman in East Jakarta on Tuesday has gone viral in Indonesia.

The officer's measured reaction was equally remarkable: he walks away.

The policeman — First Inspector Sutisna — has now been given an award for his "patience" at an official ceremony.

Inspector Sutisna was patrolling a bus lane in East Jakarta at around 9:00am when he apparently blocked the path of a white Daihatsu Xenia driven by a woman wearing a purple hijab.

Inspector Sutisna said the woman called out to him, "Hey if you want to stand, don't stand over there."

She yelled out that she was an employee of the Supreme Court.

Inspector Sutisna said: "I asked her 'Sorry ma'am, why you are angry at me? What did I do wrong to you?'

"Then she started to yell again 'yes, you, stupid, no brainer, idiot' all dirty words."

Inspector Sutisna said he tried to take a photograph of the car's licence plate but the woman knocked his phone out of his hands. He then confiscated her car keys.

That is when the video begins. The footage shot by a bystander began with the driver berating Inspector Sutisna and slapping his infringement book out of his hands.

Over the next 45 seconds the irate motorist grabbed the policeman by his clothes and arm, shoved and pulled him and screamed at him.

Inspector Sutisna attempted to walk away but the woman followed him into a bus lane where the assault continued.

It was done with such force that various items of the policeman's belongings fell to the ground.

Inspector Sutisna went to the nearest police station to report the incident and hand over evidence of the attack — including the amateur video.

Police said the driver will be summoned for questioning.