Road Traffic Accident Claims Process (Bodily Injuries)
Malaysia has the third highest fatality rate from road traffic accidents in Asia behind Thailand and Vietnam. The Global Status Report on Road Safety published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank in December 2018 reported that Malaysia had 7,152 deaths in 2016, of which 87% were males and 13% females.
According to Traffic Police for the year 2019 statistic, more than 280,000 road accidents nationwide in first half 2019. It is recorded 281,527 road accidents within the first six months of the said year, an increase of 2.5 percent compared to 274,556 for the same period last year.
What To Do If You Are Involved In A Road Traffic Accident
Even though a lot of confusion takes place after a traffic collision, there are a few things you should be sure to do if you are involved in a road traffic accident.
These few steps will help ease the road traffic accident claims process, so be sure to do the following;
- Share information with the other party. This includes phone number, names, insurance details, addresses and car registration numbers.
• Take photos of the accident. This is a helpful precaution as it gives vivid details of the collision. In addition, it will help you to keep track of where the accident occurred.
• Write down the model of the other parties car, the color, year and the amount of damage suffered.
• If there are any witnesses around, take down their information as well.
• Be sure you note down who the owner of the car is in case he/she was not the driver.
• Refrain from discussing the accident. Issues such as who was in the wrong, how to go about reporting it to the insurance companies etc. should be avoided.
• Make sure to report the accident to the nearest police station (traffic) for the further claim process.
• Appoint a lawyer to inform the insurance company of the accident as well and to send Notice Under Section 96(2)(a) Road Transport Act 1987 about the accident. This procedure should be done as soon as possible
** Limitation period varies for the bodily injury and fatal cases**
