ACCIDENTS involving heavy vehicles could take longer to resolve depending on the cargo, severity of the collision and whether there were fatalities, says PLUS Malaysia Bhd.
Its operations senior general manager Mohd Yusuf Abdul Aziz said when an accident occurred, the priority was to prevent a secondary collision while managing traffic and coordinating with emergency agencies.
He urged motorists to follow instructions at accident scenes and give emergency responders clear passage instead of slowing down to record videos.
“Sometimes, even before we receive information, it is already all over the media.
“It can help in some cases, but sometimes the information being shared can create other issues,” he said after an emergency simulation to test the response to a major highway accident near the Penanti rest area along Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE).
The exercise, which involved a simulated collision between a petrol and diesel tanker and a trailer carrying chemical liquids, saw participation of over 100 personnel from various agencies and strategic partners.
They included the Fire and Rescue Department, police, Health Ministry, Department of Environment, Malaysian Civil Defence Force and Malaysian Highway Authority.
Mohd Yusuf said the exercise was completed within about two hours, allowing the agencies to assess their readiness and determine whether existing standard operating procedures needed improvement.
“During a simulation, we have anticipated certain things, including traffic queues and congestion.
“But when a real accident happens suddenly, it could be a different scenario with a different impact.”
He said one challenge was preventing water used during firefighting from flowing towards the opposite carriageway and affecting motorists travelling in the other direction.
“Even when one side is closed, water can flow to the other side.
“We need to intervene quickly and deploy personnel to slow down traffic where necessary.”
With motorcyclists accounting for about 75% of fatal accidents on highways, Mohd Yusuf added that PLUS continuously reviewed safety measures after crashes.
“Every accident is analysed to determine what needs to be improved, whether it involves enforcement, education, engineering or emergency response.”
