The Michigan Department of Transportation says we should call a collision involving a vehicle a "crash", not an "accident".
And it is asking Michiganders to sign a "crash not accident" pledge to change their use of terminology and to educate others about why "crash" is a better word.
"It is vitally important that we use the right words to describe the situation, especially when inattention, distracted driving and other avoidable actions are at the center of an incident," MDOT said in a news release sent out as part of its support for the "Toward Zero Deaths" National Strategy on Highway Safety.
The release states that, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an accident is "an unfortunate event resulting especially from carelessness or ignorance" and a crash is "a breaking to pieces by or as if by collision."
"These two words have different definitions and implications and are not very similar, so why would these words be used interchangeably?" MDOT asks.
When we call something an "accident" it implies that no one is at fault and that no one, including the driver, bears responsibility for the outcome. The term "crash," on the other hand, is more specific in terms of the action's outcome without the unpreventable implication, MDOT argues.
Traffic crashes are fixable problems, caused by inattentive drivers and driver behavior, says MDOT. They are not accidents, the department of transportation says.
It urged the public to sign a pledge to "stop using the word 'accident' today."
You can learn more at Crash Not Accident (michigan.gov).
