South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership
News
05 Mar 2024
CRASH NOT ACCIDENT - LANGUAGE MATTERS
You will notice that members of the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership (SYSRP) do not use the word ‘accident’ – instead we use the terms ‘collision’ or ‘crash’.
This is because ‘accident’ means that something was unavoidable or unpredictable.
Using the term ‘collision’ helps to remind everyone that these incidents have identifiable causes and are the result of specific actions, behaviours or conditions that could have been prevented.
It reflects a recognition that human actions and choices play a significant role in road safety.
In many cases, factors such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding, disobeying traffic rules, or not following road safety measures contribute to road collisions.
By acknowledging these factors, we can work towards preventing such incidents through education, enforcement, and infrastructure improvements.
The shift in language from ‘accident’ to ‘collision’ aims to encourage responsibility, accountability, and proactive measures to reduce the occurrence of preventable incidents on the road.
RoadPeace – the national charity for road crash victims - has been campaigning for a change in terminology for over 25 years.
A spokesperson for national charity RoadPeace said: “The term ‘road accident’ exemplifies society’s tolerance of road danger.
“Too many still do not hold drivers accountable for their actions, implying instead it was a matter of chance.
“By using the word ‘accident’ – society is saying that there is nothing that can be done about these deaths and injuries, and they are an acceptable pay off for having motor vehicles.
“Planes and trains do not have ‘accidents’ – they crash. Changing language is vital to change attitudes.
“It is inappropriate, upsetting for families, and serves only to propagate the idea that road deaths are an acceptable pay-off for having roads.”
Find out more about the work of RoadPeace here: https://www.roadpeace.org/get-involved/crash-not-accident/
This is because ‘accident’ means that something was unavoidable or unpredictable.
Using the term ‘collision’ helps to remind everyone that these incidents have identifiable causes and are the result of specific actions, behaviours or conditions that could have been prevented.
It reflects a recognition that human actions and choices play a significant role in road safety.
In many cases, factors such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding, disobeying traffic rules, or not following road safety measures contribute to road collisions.
By acknowledging these factors, we can work towards preventing such incidents through education, enforcement, and infrastructure improvements.
The shift in language from ‘accident’ to ‘collision’ aims to encourage responsibility, accountability, and proactive measures to reduce the occurrence of preventable incidents on the road.
RoadPeace – the national charity for road crash victims - has been campaigning for a change in terminology for over 25 years.
A spokesperson for national charity RoadPeace said: “The term ‘road accident’ exemplifies society’s tolerance of road danger.
“Too many still do not hold drivers accountable for their actions, implying instead it was a matter of chance.
“By using the word ‘accident’ – society is saying that there is nothing that can be done about these deaths and injuries, and they are an acceptable pay off for having motor vehicles.
“Planes and trains do not have ‘accidents’ – they crash. Changing language is vital to change attitudes.
“It is inappropriate, upsetting for families, and serves only to propagate the idea that road deaths are an acceptable pay-off for having roads.”
Find out more about the work of RoadPeace here: https://www.roadpeace.org/get-involved/crash-not-accident/
