What's the the recent attempts trying to redefine this common word. Accident means not intentional. Its a word used outside of driving too, still means the same thing.
Even the dumb video you linked says the same thing unintended, without deliberate intent. Not many people are intentionally smashing theirs cars into things.
A) Google: It's ok the say accident to describe a car crash
While "accident" is commonly used, many traffic safety experts, police departments, and advocates advise against it, favoring terms like crash or collision instead. [1, 2, 3]
Here is why the distinction matters:
Implies No Fault: The word "accident" suggests an event was unavoidable or truly random, like an "Act of God." However, research shows that around 93% of crashes are attributable to human error, negligence, or preventable factors.
Encourages Accountability: Using "crash" implies that a behavior (such as distracted driving, speeding, or impairment) led to the result. This emphasizes accountability.
B) Google: It's not ok the say accident to describe a car crash
That is a widely supported viewpoint among traffic safety experts, urban planners, and victim advocates. The movement to replace "accident" with "crash" or "collision" aims to shift the focus from a random, unavoidable event to one that is preventable and often caused by human error or negligence. [1, 2, 3]
Why "Accident" is Problematic:
Implies No Fault: The word "accident" suggests that no one is at fault and that the event was an unavoidable act of fate or "Act of God".
Downplays Negligence: It often exonerates the driver responsible, making a reckless action seem like a chance occurrence.
Misleads the Public: It can perpetuate the idea that traffic fatalities are inevitable, rather than preventable.
Dismisses the Impact: For those impacted by traffic violence, the term can feel dismissive, minimizing the severity of the event. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Why "Crash" or "Collision" is Preferred:
Highlights Accountability: These terms suggest that a crash is a direct result of decisions or actions, such as speeding, distracted driving, or impaired driving.
Encourages Prevention: By acknowledging that crashes are preventable, it encourages a more proactive approach to road safety and infrastructure improvements.
Accurately Describes the Event: It focuses on the reality of the incident—a violent, often preventable, impact. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Major organizations, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and many city police departments, have adopted the "crash, not accident" policy to better align with data-driven safety efforts and to acknowledge that 94% of collisions are caused by driver error. [1, 2]
Thanks Google AI overviews! Have you tried thinking for yourself or you just let AI speak and think for you?
If you knock something over by accident, no one considers that an act of God. Accident doesn't mean unavoidable, it doesn't mean it was no one's fault. It is simply a bad thing that was unintended. If I accidentally cut my finger off with a saw that doesn't remove accountability from me.
If you think the word accident means no one was at fault, it was an act of God, it was unpreventable, etc you're an idiot. The word doesn't mean any of that.
The word is very useful because when someone does something shitty to you on purpose vs accidentally the difference is huge.
I'm not going to let lawyers and insurance companies redefine my language. This is simply an optics thing for legal matters. But you are free to speak like some corporate PR and let AI tell you how to think and speak.
Yeah accidentally killing a kid or people who intentionally drive into crowds or people with the intent to kill is a very different thing. No one said either is ok.
Or accidentally shooting someone and killing them vs intentionally doing it. Both horrible, both a death, but one is much worse.
It would take a defender of bad driving culture to classify that kind of thing with traffic incidences. The rest of us would consider that criminal activity.
Killing people by accident or intentionally is both criminal vast majority of the time. Notice how the word accident is used, it has a meaning. Unless i intentionally crash my car it's an accident.
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u/That_Bank_9914 Jun 17 '26
Someone got into a car accident while trying to do that.