Related: Vehicle Crashes Are The Leading Cause Of Injury, Death In U.S.
NHTSA: Crash versus accident campaign
In a campaign launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1997, the organization encouraged people to use the words crash, incident, injury or collision instead of accident. This is because the term accident suggests that no one is responsible. It also implies that the incident was unintentional, hence removing human influence from the equation. Using the words crash, incident, injury or collision means that the cause of the event could be identified. People can take the necessary actions to prevent the same thing from happening again.
How this impacts news articles
While some people understand the difference between these two terms, chances are we still see posts using them interchangeably. Practicing this habit also presents a dilemma for online reporters and writers as readers are still likely to use the word accidents or accident when looking for specific information online. Thus, they will often use those terms even if they aren’t correct for the article.
Related: Louisville Teams Up With Waze To Improve City Traffic
Statistics
In 2014, Kentucky Office of Highway Safety recorded a total of 672 victims of fatal traffic collisions on public roads. This was a 5.3% increase from the 638 deaths recorded in 2013. Sixty-four percent of all reported collisions involved two or more vehicles.
With that said, as a Kentucky Car Accident Attorney, I encourage you to always be cautious while driving. Even if you take your eyes off the road for a few seconds, it could have serious consequences. Crashes don’t happen by chance, and they are not the same as accidents. It’s important to know the difference between the two. Every action we make, especially when on the roads, can affect everyone around us. We can decrease the number of incidents by focusing on the road, not driving while impaired and following the law.
For more information contact the personal injury lawyers in Louisville at The Shafer Law Office today!