Replace the Word 'Accident' With 'Crash,' Advocates Demand

Human error causes most vehicle wrecks, so why is “car accident” still the go-to term?

A safety advocate-led movement is gaining steam to change the lexicon, the New York Times reports, with “crash” being the preferred word to replace “accident.”

With fatal crashes on the rise on U.S. roads, policymakers are joining the groundswell of voices calling for eradication of the word, which they say absolves blame.

“When you use the word ‘accident,’ it’s like, ‘God made it happen,'” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration head Mark Rosekind in a recent speech. “In our society, language can be everything.”

The state of Nevada, as well as New York City, San Francisco and other cities, have already passed laws to erase the word from police and insurance documents. Transportation departments in 28 states also avoid the word.

As of April, Associated Press news reports will use “crash” whenever driver negligence is proven or suggested.

While texting and rear-ending isn’t an act of God, roughly six percent of vehicle incidents can’t be attributed to driver error. A debris-caused tire blowout, storm-tossed tree limb, bolting deer or mechanical breakdown aren’t a driver’s fault any more than a bird strike is a pilot’s fault.

Still, it doesn’t look like advocates want to make a distinction. The word “crash” doesn’t assign blame, but “accident” removes all doubt as to driver fault. Expect the new blanket term to slowly replace the other.

Still, there’s pushback to the movement. The New York Times report points to a debate that raged on a Facebook group for traffic reporters.

“What is being solved by having this debate?” one post read. “What injustice are we correcting?”

[Image: Mark Turnauckas/ Flickr ( CC BY 2.0)]