"Accident" vs. "Crash"

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
In my certification course I learned (as did many other techs, I'm sure) to refer to automobile mishaps as "crashes" or "collisions," not "accidents." The reason given was that accidents are preventable. But aren't crashes and collisions also preventable?

To me, "accident" simply means "not intentional," which, barring a driver intentionally running someone down, fits the bill just fine.

I know it's a semantic issue, but it doesn't make sense. And I'm a little miffed that I have allowed myself to be brainwashed into NOT referring to things as accidents. Like, in protest I make a concerted effort to refer to something as an accident, but I can't. (Sort of like how I stopped referring to soda as "pop" when I moved from the Midwest, and now when I try calling it pop, I can't do it.)

So am I the only one annoyed by that? Probably.
 
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monstah

New member
In my class last week, the instructor said "accident" implies unpreventable. But a crash or collision is preventable.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
In my class last week, the instructor said "accident" implies unpreventable. But a crash or collision is preventable.

But that's what I don't agree with. "Accident" doesn't mean (nor imply, IMO) "unpreventable." It means "unintentional." Very few people intend to get in a crash. (Oh, see how I said "crash" when I really wanted to say "accident"? I can't do it.)

Say someone is speeding and misses a curve and crashes. Sure, it could have been prevented by not speeding, but it was still accidental. The person wasn't speeding in hopes of crashing.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I think the issue for me is if you ask the parents "has the seat ever been in an accident" they might say no while if you ask, "Has the seat ever been in a crash, even a small one" they might say yes. Some parents, anyway. Some parents see "accident" as something that's between 2 cars/vehicles, while a crash is anything in which you hit something else or it hits you. At least I've heard that distinction made at least once.
 

scariestone

New member
Well webster.com defines it this way: 1 a : an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance b : lack of intention or necessity c : an unexpected happening causing loss or injury which is not due to any fault or misconduct on the part of the person injured but for which legal relief may be sought

Maybe its the definition under "c" is why they say not to call it an accident because that does make it sound like something not preventable. BTW I completely hear you on the "pop" thing. I moved to CA from MI and promised myself I wouldn't ever call it soda and now I do. :mad: It has a lot to do with the fact that when I would call it pop people would say "ohhh you're from the midwest!" like they were talking to a 3 year old. Grrr.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
Just wanted to say I agree it is an accident. However, in my course, we were told an "accident" is "an act of God" :confused: So, the reason you were given makes alot more sense than the reason I was given.
 

simplychels

New member
The terms make complete sense to me because quite often just because you don't intend to get into an accident, doesn't mean you are doing everything you can to prevent one either. For example: speeding, not paying full attention, are yielding instead of stopping, going too fast for the current road conditions, and all other driving infractions that lead to the crashes. I don't think a crash is necessarily somebody saying "ooh look at that shiny red car, I think I'm going to play bumper cars now!".

I have a really hard time coming up with an actual accident scenario. Everything I think of can be blamed upon driver error in someway or another which means its a crash because it was fully preventable by either 1 or both/all parties involved.
 

Evolily

New member
I was always told that accident implies an unpreventable (not just unintended) collision, whereas crash is a more neutral term.
 

Pixels

New member
I have a really hard time coming up with an actual accident scenario. Everything I think of can be blamed upon driver error in someway or another which means its a crash because it was fully preventable by either 1 or both/all parties involved.

Car A has new brakes put on. Drives away from the mechanic's shop, maybe drives around town for a week. Then it starts to rain. Water + thin oil film (commonly found on new brakes) = slippery. Driver applies brakes. Car does not slow until it is stopped by impacting the vehicle in front of it.

Now, an argument could be made that the incident is the fault of the driver of the car, because they did not have their vehicle in safe operating condition. They thought they did, but it turns out that wasn't the case.

Accident or crash?








Did anybody else notice that I used two terms that are neither crash nor accident? :p
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Whenever I hear the word 'accident' now, I wonder who wet their pants :whistle:

See, and that's part of my reasoning. The kid probably didn't WANT to pee his pants. It could have been prevented by going to the bathroom earlier. But he didn't, so he had an unintended accident.

If my kid is throwing a ball in the house and breaks a lightbulb, it was an accident (unless he actually took aim). Preventable? Yes, certainly. He was doing something he shouldn't have been doing. Intentional? No. That's why it was an accident.

I'm running through the house trying to get out on time and I whack my knee against a chair. Could it have been prevented if I had been going more slowly? Sure. Did I mean to bruise my knee? No. It was an accident.

Driver goes to change lanes and doesn't see a car in his blind spot, and hits it. Preventable? Yes, he could have looked more closely. Intentional? Of course not. He hit the car accidentally. It was an accident.

Driver has a heart attack and veers over the median into another car. Preventable? Well, no, not really. Intentional? Of course not. It was an accident.

Drunk driver runs down a family? Eh, that one I'm willing to put in the "not quite accidental" category because driving drunk is so blatantly stupid that you almost are asking for something bad to happen on purpose.

But most crashes--while preventable--are truly mistakes. Or accidents.

I'm sticking with that. (But it won't do me any good because I can't seem to get over my mental block.)
 

simplychels

New member
Car A has new brakes put on. Drives away from the mechanic's shop, maybe drives around town for a week. Then it starts to rain. Water + thin oil film (commonly found on new brakes) = slippery. Driver applies brakes. Car does not slow until it is stopped by impacting the vehicle in front of it.

Now, an argument could be made that the incident is the fault of the driver of the car, because they did not have their vehicle in safe operating condition. They thought they did, but it turns out that wasn't the case.

Accident or crash?








Did anybody else notice that I used two terms that are neither crash nor accident? :p
Crash. Driver should have given themselves extra time to stop in wet conditions. It is drive error to misjudge ones brakes, new or not. Same could be said about the minute you drive a new car off the lot. You don't know quite yet how that car handles, so you should use extra caution if you are taking the proper measures to avoid a crash.
 

Pixels

New member
Crash. Driver should have given themselves extra time to stop in wet conditions. It is drive error to misjudge ones brakes, new or not. Same could be said about the minute you drive a new car off the lot. You don't know quite yet how that car handles, so you should use extra caution if you are taking the proper measures to avoid a crash.

I based that scenario on a real-life crash. I was the car in front. The driver that hit me may or may not have given herself extra room due to wet conditions, but I don't think it would have mattered in this case. Her brakes failed completely. They didn't work halfway, they just didn't do anything. Unless she left a football field or more between us, there was no way she could have not hit me. Also, it was a two-lane road with no shoulders in the city. No way for her to duck around me to avoid, unless maybe she went up on the sidewalk (potentially hitting telephone poles, fire hydrants, or pedestrians that may or may not have been there).
 

simplychels

New member
I based that scenario on a real-life crash. I was the car in front. The driver that hit me may or may not have given herself extra room due to wet conditions, but I don't think it would have mattered in this case. Her brakes failed completely. They didn't work halfway, they just didn't do anything. Unless she left a football field or more between us, there was no way she could have not hit me. Also, it was a two-lane road with no shoulders in the city. No way for her to duck around me to avoid, unless maybe she went up on the sidewalk (potentially hitting telephone poles, fire hydrants, or pedestrians that may or may not have been there).
If her brakes failed completely that is drastically different then there being an oil slick on them and it taking longer to stop due to them being slippery. I agree that hitting you was a better option then potentially hitting a pedestrian up on the sidewalk, or going into the on coming lane of traffic. So perhaps, if catastrophic brake failure is actually what happened then that situation may be something worthy of being called an accident. However, could she have pulled her e-brake?
 

jjordan

Moderator
I agree with you in that I use the word "accident" to communicate "unintentional."

However I can see the point that some people might be using the word to communicate "unpreventable." And since misunderstandings abound when people define words differently, it makes sense to avoid those ambiguous words when possible.
 

leighi123

Active member
We were told in our class not to say 'accident' b/c accident can imply 'you made a mistake and crashed', and some people think "well *I* would never get into an accident b/c Im a great driver'', but if you say 'crash' it wouldn't be implying that whoever you are talking to could mess up, just that there could be some sort of impact (maybe someone else crashing into you for example).

I dunno if I explained that in a way that makes any sense at all... sorry!


ETA: This made a lot more sense to me when I actually saw what they meant by it - I did once say 'accident' instead of crash and had the guy said 'I'm a really careful driver' and I had to re-word and explain that if someone ELSE was a bad driver and crashed into you...
 

monstah

New member
We were told in our class not to say 'accident' b/c accident can imply 'you made a mistake and crashed', and some people think "well *I* would never get into an accident b/c Im a great driver'', but if you say 'crash' it wouldn't be implying that whoever you are talking to could mess up, just that there could be some sort of impact (maybe someone else crashing into you for example).

I dunno if I explained that in a way that makes any sense at all... sorry!


ETA: This made a lot more sense to me when I actually saw what they meant by it - I did once say 'accident' instead of crash and had the guy said 'I'm a really careful driver' and I had to re-word and explain that if someone ELSE was a bad driver and crashed into you...

I was coming back to post something similar but before I do, I want to say that I have called car crashes "accidents" my whole life and agree 100% with you LISmama. But, I am trying to switch and use the term "collision" instead of accident.

Reason being - when talking to my niece that she needs to wear her seatbelt in case they ever get in an accident, she replied "We don't get in accidents. My parents are great drivers." But when I asked her how it would feel if they got into a collision, her ears perked up and the wheels in her head started turning. "Someone else could be answering their cell phone and you guys could get into a serious crash no matter how great a driver your mom is."

I think "accidents" happen to other people. Because *those* people aren't paying attention. (Accident) But *I* always pay attention. And for people who think like that, it's easier to get them to understand *collisions* happen to anyone.
 

dhardawa

Active member
I made this same argument right after I got certified. Based on the assumption that "accident" = umpreventable, there are no addicents and we may as well just remove the word from the English language.

Driver has a heart attack, crosses the median, hits another car. Preventable? Sure. Driver could have had blood pressure monitored better, could have eaten less fried food, could have not driven that day. We could require weekly doctor visits with EKGs and heart monitoring before being allowed to drive. Practical? No. Could it be done? Sure. Therefore, this this is not an accident.

So, I think the whole "accident" vs. "crash" thing is absurd.
 

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