Traffic Accident Rescue

1. Definition and Trigger Mechanism

Traffic accident rescue refers to on-site emergency response and vehicle recovery operations coordinated by the fire and rescue department, medical services, traffic police, and professional recovery operators when a motor vehicle suffers severe damage, or its occupants are trapped or injured due to collisions, rollovers, rear-end crashes, or loss of control. The core objective is to extricate trapped occupants in the shortest possible time, deliver pre-hospital emergency care, restore traffic flow, and prevent secondary collisions as well as cascading hazards.

The trigger mechanisms fall into two categories: Passive triggers—where the onboard emergency call system (eCall) automatically transmits location and vehicle status data to the emergency response centre when airbags deploy or vehicle rollover angles exceed 45°; Active triggers—where victims or eyewitnesses dial emergency hotlines, including 122 (traffic police), 119 (fire and rescue), and 120 (ambulance/medical services).

2. Response Framework and Division of Duties

Traffic accident rescue operates under a unified command and tiered response system, with relevant agencies collaborating based on their statutory responsibilities:

Responding Agency	Core Responsibilities	On-Scene Arrival Standards
Traffic Police (122)	Accident investigation, liability determination, traffic control, and traffic diversion	Urban roads ≤ 15 minutes; expressways ≤ 30 minutes
Fire and Rescue Services (119)	Extrication of trapped victims via cutting tools, fire suppression, hazardous chemical containment, and high-voltage circuit isolation	Urban areas ≤ 10 minutes; expressways ≤ 20 minutes
Medical Emergency Services (120)	On-site triage, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), haemostasis and wound dressing, fracture immobilisation, and hospital transfer	Urban areas ≤ 12 minutes; rural areas ≤ 30 minutes
Vehicle Recovery Operators	Accident vehicle hoisting/towing, debris clearance, and road surface restoration	Arrival within ≤ 45 minutes of traffic police dispatch

3. On-Site Operations and Safety Protocols

Stage 1: Safety Cordon and Traffic Management
- First-responding officers must establish a progressive warning zone behind the crash site: Warning Area (≥ 200 metres, signboards deployed), Transition Area (≥ 50 metres, traffic cones guiding lane changes), and Operational Area (the immediate crash zone).
- For expressway incidents, nearby on-ramps must be closed concurrently, with Variable Message Signs (VMS) activated to advise detour routes and prevent secondary rear-end collisions from tailbacks.
Stage 2: Life-Saving Priority ("The Golden Ten Minutes")
- Rescue personnel utilise hydraulic cutting equipment, spreaders, and rams to cut or pry open deformed vehicle structures, prioritising the driver's side and rear passenger doors to grant paramedics rapid access to casualties.
- For electrified vehicles (EVs/PHEVs) with compromised high-voltage battery packs, rescuers must first disconnect the negative terminal of the 12V auxiliary battery and pull the manual service disconnect (MSD) / high-voltage safety plug (typically located under the front bonnet/frunk or near the B-pillar) to mitigate electrocution and thermal runaway risks.
- Medical teams conduct concurrent triage (Red/Yellow/Green/Black tags), giving top evacuation priority to Red (critical) casualties following cervical spine immobilisation, tourniquet application, and airway management.
Stage 3: Vehicle Recovery and Site Clearance
- Damaged vehicles must be transported using flatbed recovery trucks or crane-equipped recovery lorries for full-lift transport; single-axle wheel-lift towing is strictly prohibited to prevent drivetrain and transmission damage.
- Fluid and oil spills on the tarmac must be absorbed using spill mats, while leaked battery electrolyte requires specialised neutralising agents. Traffic restrictions will be lifted by traffic police once the carriageway is fully cleared.

4. EV-Specific Accident Rescue Guidelines

High-Voltage Safety Perimeter: If a damaged traction battery emits smoke, expands/bulges, or makes hissing noises, rescue teams must maintain a minimum 15-metre safety exclusion zone and request dedicated firefighting support. For lithium-ion thermal runaway, standard ABC dry powder extinguishers are ineffective; copious continuous water or foam application (requiring at least 5 to 8 tonnes of water) is mandatory until the battery pack fully cools down.
High-Voltage Harness Identification: High-voltage cabling is universally encased in orange insulation; cutting any orange cables prior to verified high-voltage de-energisation is strictly prohibited. Emergency cut-off points should be verified against the vehicle's emergency rescue sheet (often marked via QR codes or decals on the B-pillar or inside the charging port flap).
Flush Door Handle Extraction: If low-voltage failure prevents electric flush door handles from deploying post-crash, emergency teams must access manual release cords (situated behind door-edge grommets/trim) or break the side glass; traditional crowbars must not be jammed into door gaps to avoid damaging high-voltage interlock lines.

5. Insurance Claims Workflow

Step	Action	Responsible Party
1. Claim Notification	Lodge an official claim report with the insurer within 48 hours of the incident	Vehicle Owner / Driver
2. On-Scene Inspection	Loss adjusters or survey assessors inspect the scene, document structural and component damage, and collect witness statements	Insurer / Traffic Police
3. Loss Adjusting & Repair Quotation	Authorised workshops dismantle and evaluate damaged parts, submitting repair estimates for insurer approval	Repair Workshop / Insurer
4. Advance Payout / Direct Settlement	For major accidents involving personal injury, advance medical expense payouts (capped at RM18,000) under compulsory coverage can be applied for, while vehicle repair bills are settled directly with the workshop	Insurer / Repair Workshop
5. Salvage Disposal	For total loss (Beyond Economic Repair) claims, the insurer tenders the vehicle salvage value and disburses the balance settlement	Insurer

6. Legal Liability and Compliance

Hit-and-Run Penalties: Fleeing the scene of an accident leads to driving licence revocation, lifetime disqualification, and criminal prosecution. Commercial motor insurance policies strictly deny own-damage and liability claims for hit-and-run offences; compulsory coverage will only advance emergency medical fees within statutory limits, reserving full recovery rights against the offender.
Alcohol and Drug Screening: All involved drivers must submit to breathalyser and toxicology testing. Refusal to comply constitutes an offence under the Road Traffic Act, incurring compound fines, demerit points, and harsher judicial penalties if severe casualties occur.
Preservation of Evidence: Motorists are legally required to retain dashcam video recordings (overwriting or tampering is prohibited) and must refrain from moving accident vehicles without authorisation (unless clearing life-threatening situations), as doing so compromises official liability assessments.

7. Industry Trends

Drone-Assisted Reconnaissance: During heavy expressway congestions, traffic management teams deploy aerial drones over the crash scene to stream real-time aerial footage and GPS data, enabling precise command and emergency dispatch decisions.
Smart Roadside Sensor Integration: Roadside sensing units (radar and camera arrays) along smart highway corridors can detect accident types and obstructed lanes within 3 seconds of impact, automatically updating downstream VMS boards with variable speed advisories to prevent pile-ups.
Remote Emergency Medical Tele-Guidance: Emergency dispatch centres use real-time video links to instruct bystanders in performing vital pre-hospital interventions, such as CPR, tourniquet application, and wound dressing, before paramedics arrive on scene.
AI-Driven Total Loss Assessment: Insurers utilise AI visual recognition systems to cross-reference crash damage photos with historical repair databases, generating total loss classifications and salvage valuation estimates within 30 seconds, significantly expediting total loss claims processing.