“The person who killed Kasey was on his 4th or 5th DUI when he plowed into us. The death of my three-year-old daughter was definitely no accident,” said mother Kelly DeHay about the crash that killed her child.
Every time I hear the word accident, when citing motor vehicle crashes, I cringe, especially when I see or hear it in the media or from a crash victim or survivor.
Accident: An unexpected happening causing loss or injury which is not due to any fault or misconduct on the part of the person injured but for which legal relief may be sought.
Each year there are an estimated 6 million motor vehicle crashes, killing more than 42,000 men, women and children and injuring more than 2,300,000 people in this country alone. Most are not “accidents” – but rather the result of negligent or criminal behaviors. According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), human error is a factor in approximately 94% of all motor vehicle crashes. This means that most crashes are the result of negligent or criminal behaviors. They are choices people make, such as distracted driving, speeding, or impairment. These dangerous driving decisions all play a significant role when a crash, collision or wreck occurs.
Accidents are unpredictable. However, drunk, drugged, and distracted drivers are much more likely statistically to be involved in a crash. In other words, they are predictable. Thus, labelling them as accidental is incorrect and implies that no one is at fault. For this reason, we ask you to use terms that more accurately reflect the realities of such occurrences, such as crash, collision, and wreck. Crime is also good.
Each time the media uses that word when describing a crash – especially when there are injuries or deaths – it plays into the hands of defense attorneys who use it to excuse the dangerous driving choice their clients made that are responsible for the crash or crime. I want the public to know that:
- 94% of crashes result from human error.
- Using the word “accident” gives the inaccurate impression that there is no fault or liability involved.
- It reinforces societal permissiveness towards dangerous driving behaviors that often result in injury or death.
Tim Burrows, former National Law Enforcement Liaison Program Manager and retired police officer, explains, “As a police officer, the most difficult thing for me to do was tell someone that their loved one had been killed in a collision. Using the word accident trivializes the devastation loved ones feel and insults the memory of the deceased.”
It is my mission and that of We Save Lives to put responsibility where it belongs, on the driver. We need to change how we speak about these events and stop excusing dangerous driving choices. I am calling on everyone to Drop the “A” Word and stop excusing dangerous and irresponsible driving choices. If you have used this word when describing your own crash on social media please consider changing it. Thank you.
Candace Lighter, Activist and Founder,
We Save Lives
Mothers Against Drunk Driving