The Wisconsin DOT's Bureau of Transportation Safety (BOTS) hasn't called car crashes "accidents" since the 1989 Wisconsin Traffic Accident Facts report, which included this statement on page one: "Traffic crashes are not accidents, but avoidable events caused by a single variable or chain of variables. We are dedicated to reducing traffic injuries and fatalities by addressing the factors that cause them ... Future editions will ... be called Crash Facts."
Federal Highway Administration research cites driver error as the principal cause in most automobile crashes. "Driver error" encompasses things like running stop signs and red lights, driving too fast for conditions, and not paying attention to the road, among other things. I don't know what the standard form is called in Minnesota, but in Wisconsin, the police unfortunately use a Division of Motor Vehicles form (the "MV4000") which, the last time I checked, still uses the word "accident" even though the BOTS says this: Crashes, Not Accidents - Traffic crashes are not accidents, but avoidable events caused by a single variable or chain of variables. Dedicated to reducing traffic injuries and fatalities by addressing the factors that cause them, the bureau of transportation Safety coordinates a statewide behavioral highway safety program. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/motorist/crashfacts/docs/crash-intro.pdf See also: www.woj.com.au/2006/06/29/us-chuck-strawser-its-no-accident-when-drivers-kill / Chuck Strawser Pedestrian & Bike Coordinator Commuter Solutions Transportation Services UW-Madison Room 124 WARF 610 Walnut St Madison WI 53726 608-263-2969 www.wisc.edu/trans -----Original Message----- From: George Perkins Dennis, Please, substitute "CRASH" for "ACCIDENT" when reporting about crashes like this. Especially when you report that the police cited the motor vehicle driver for BREAKING THE LAW one would conclude there was never anything ACCIDENTAL about what happened. Using the word "accident" is a judgment and implies innocence. Using the word "crash" implies nothing except that two moving objects collided. In this particular case, since the motor vehicle driver was at fault for breaking the law, your editor should permit you to use "carelessly driven into bicyclist" or a similar phrasing. Can you get this corrected in online editions? Thank you. George Perkins Madison, WI _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
