Emergency Rescue Hotlines (122/110/120)

1. Definition and System Architecture

Emergency rescue hotlines are nationally unified short-code hotlines set up by government authorities, enabling members of the public to quickly reach relevant emergency response agencies during traffic collisions, public security incidents, medical emergencies, and various disasters or hazards. In road traffic accident scenarios, the core emergency numbers comprise 122 (traffic accident reporting), 110 (police assistance), and 120 (medical ambulance services), which collectively form an integrated, end-to-end emergency response loop of "report, respond, and treat".

2. Functional Roles and Division of Responsibilities

In real-world road traffic accidents, inter-agency coordination is standard operating procedure. Once a caller dials any of these hotlines, the dispatch centre will initiate a three-way conference call or an information dispatch protocol to deploy the necessary emergency units simultaneously.

3. Standard Operating Procedures for Reporting Road Accidents

• Phase 1: Scene Assessment and Call Preparation

  • Manoeuvre the vehicle to a safe location, switch on hazard lights, and deploy the reflective warning triangle before dialling. Never stand or remain in live traffic lanes while making phone calls.

  • Prepare the following vital details prior to calling: precise location (highways: kilometre marker + 100-metre marker; city roads: junction names or nearby prominent landmarks), collision type (rear-end / head-on / rollover / single-vehicle crash), vehicle types and count (passenger cars / lorries / buses / electric vehicles), fire or fluid leakage risks, and casualty status (number of injured persons, state of consciousness, trapped occupants).

• Phase 2: Responding to the Call Handler

  • Emergency dispatchers generally follow a structured script; respond calmly and systematically:

    • Q: "Where did the accident happen?" A: Provide exact markers based on the aforementioned format; avoid vague statements such as "I am somewhere along this road."

    • Q: "Is anyone injured?" A: If injury severity is uncertain, state: "There are casualties, please dispatch an ambulance via 120," allowing paramedics to assess on scene.

    • Q: "Are there any hazardous materials or fuel leaks involved?" A: Check under the vehicle for leaking fluids; if unsure, state: "Suspected fluid leak."

    • Q: "What is your vehicle registration number and contact number?" Provide accurate details and keep your line open for follow-up calls.

• Phase 3: Post-Call On-Site Safety Actions

  • Keep your mobile phone line clear after hanging up, and wait at the designated safe spot as advised by the dispatcher (e.g., highway entry point, exit ramp, or identifiable landmark) to guide approaching emergency vehicles.

  • If there are casualties, do not move the injured unnecessarily unless there is an immediate threat of fire or explosion. If moving them is unavoidable, lift and shift them flat to protect the cervical spine and spinal cord.

4. Reporting Protocols for New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Accidents

When reporting accidents involving electrified vehicles (EVs/PHEVs), proactively provide the following technical details:

• Powertrain configuration: Specify whether the car is a "battery electric vehicle (BEV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV)", allowing the fire and rescue team to prepare foam fire suppression equipment and high-voltage insulated rescue tools.

• Traction battery integrity: Inform the dispatcher immediately if you spot underbody impact damage, smoke venting from the battery casing, or audible hissing noises.

• High-voltage isolation status: While the onboard Battery Management System (BMS) automatically isolates the high-voltage circuit during a collision in most EVs, any continuous relay clicking or flashing high-voltage warning lights on the instrument cluster indicate potential residual energisation, which must be highlighted to the operator.

5. Key Precautions and Common Misconceptions

• Misconception 1: "Calling 110 is the same as calling 122"

  • Although the 110 police command centre can reroute traffic accident reports, dialling 122 connects directly to the local traffic police unit, cutting out inter-agency routing delays and linking straight to dedicated towing and recovery fleets. Always dial 122 first for traffic accidents, and call 120 or request a three-way link if there are severe injuries.

• Misconception 2: "On highways, dial the area code followed by 12122"

  • 122 is the nationwide hotline for all road traffic accidents, including those on expressways. The provincial area code + 12122 hotlines are generally highway concessionaire/management hotlines focused on traffic updates and toll enquiries; emergency dispatch must still go through 122.

• Misconception 3: "Driving off without reporting minor fender-benders"

  • For minor property-damage-only collisions where vehicles remain roadworthy, fault is clear, and both parties agree, motorists may take photos, clear the scene, and proceed to a fast-track claims centre without calling 122. However, if there is suspected drink-driving, driving without a licence, unmounted number plates, or a hit-and-run, an official police report via 122 is legally mandatory even if no injuries occurred.

6. Special Scenarios and Emergency Reporting for Foreigners

• Reporting for hearing-impaired motorists: Send an SMS to 12110 (the national emergency SMS portal), clearly stating "Traffic Accident", exact location, basic scenario, and whether medical assistance is needed.

• Reporting by foreign nationals: Both 122 and 110 command centres support multi-language interpretation services. Upon connection, simply state "English please" or "I need an interpreter" to be transferred to an English-speaking operator or connected to an on-demand translation line.

• Emergency location services: Android and iOS smartphones can transmit real-time GPS coordinates via encrypted SMS or during "Emergency SOS" mode directly to the emergency response backend (subject to device support and telco network capability).

7. Legal Penalties for False Reporting and Prank Calls

• Administrative penalties: Under Article 25 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People's Republic of China, anyone filing false reports, making nuisance calls, or fabricating emergencies that cause futile police deployment faces administrative detention of 5 to 10 days, alongside a potential fine of up to 500 yuan.

• Criminal liabilities: If a fabricated report causes significant delays in deploying major emergency resources, resulting in severe injuries, fatalities, or heavy property damage, the offender may be prosecuted under the penal code for fabricating and intentionally disseminating false information.

• Handling accidental dialling: If you dial 122, 110, or 120 by mistake, do not hang up immediately. Stay on the line and clearly state "Wrong dial, no emergency" to prevent operators from calling back repeatedly and tying up critical emergency lines. Hanging up abruptly causes the system to flag the call as a suspected critical emergency, triggering an unnecessary police dispatch to verify your location.

8. Future Technological Trends

• Mandatory E-Call implementation: Starting from 2024, newly homologated vehicle models in both the European Union and China are mandated to feature automatic emergency call (E-Call) systems. Upon a severe collision, the system automatically dials out and transmits critical telemetry (GPS coordinates, vehicle heading, occupant count, crash severity) to dispatch centres, shaving off over 60 seconds compared to manual reporting.

• Multimodal emergency reporting: Selected cities have rolled out live-video emergency reporting, allowing users to stream real-time crash scene footage to dispatchers via dedicated mobile apps or mini-programs, enabling remote casualty assessment and visual tactical planning for incoming rescue teams.

• AI-powered voice recognition: Natural language processing (NLP) AI assistant systems can parse live calls in real time, automatically extracting critical parameters such as exact location, vehicle model, and injury severity, instantly feeding the data to the dispatch dashboard to accelerate police and rescue mobilisation.

• High-precision positioning: The integration of the BeiDou-3 navigation satellite system and ground-based augmentation stations has upgraded mobile emergency positioning accuracy from kilometre-level down to 10–20 metres. In GPS-denied environments like tunnels and multi-level flyovers, Wi-Fi base station positioning fills the gap, significantly cutting emergency response delays caused by inaccurate location descriptions.