‘Every second is critical’: Vital for motorists to know how to react quickly in emergency

SINGAPORE – It is a race against time when emergency vehicles respond to an accident or when a motorist finds himself in a vehicle fire.

Knowing how to react as a motorist to such situations is crucial as it could mean the difference between life and death, said Mr Bernard Tay, president of the Automobile Association of Singapore (AA), at the AA Emergency Preparedness on the Road seminar on Saturday. He also stressed that it is important for motorists to know life-saving skills.

“In the event of a road accident or vehicle fire, when drivers fail to react, to give way, it may impede quick access to the scene of the accident. Every second is critical to an injured person,” said Mr Tay, who is also chairman of the Singapore Road Safety Council.

On Friday evening, a car burst into flames at a petrol station in Sembawang. Bystanders helped to fight the fire before the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived to extinguish the blaze. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.

But car fires can sometimes be fatal. A man who was in his car when it went up in flames at a carpark in Bukit Panjang on July 3 died after more than a month in hospital.

There were 155 vehicle fires in 2021, an increase of two from 2020.

Of the 155 cases, car fires made up more than half, at 82, according to SCDF’s data.

The AA seminar, which was co-organised with the traffic police, SCDF and road safety council, was held at the AA Centre near Leng Kee Road. More than 50 motorists and officers from the three organisations attended the event.

SCDF Major (V) Tan Teow Chye, a guest speaker, taught drivers what to do in vehicle fires, as well as how to escape safely.

He also spoke about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of the automated external defibrillator machine on someone whose heart has stopped beating. Participants tried their hand at doing CPR and applying first aid after his speech.

Vehicle fires can occur while a car is moving or stationary, and they may be the result of overheating, electrical faults or a ruptured fuel tank after a collision.

“All fires start very small,” said Major Tan. “It is very important that we fight the fire before it reaches the stage where a lot of effort will be needed to put it out.”

The seminar’s guest-of-honour, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development, said traffic police statistics showed the number of fatal accidents rose by 25 per cent, from 80 in 2020 to 100 in 2021.