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An accident is just something that occurs without intention. In the cases you're describing people don't intend to hit another car or person. That makes acciden

An accident is just something that occurs without intention. In the cases you're describing people don't intend to hit another car or person. That makes accident a reasonable label.

riffic 6y ago
Behaviors and design are themselves an intention. This post addresses "The Semantics of Intention": https://laist.com/2020/01/03/car_crash_accident_traffic_violence_language.php https://laist.com/2020/01/03/car_crash_accident_traffic_viol... excerpt: Drivers aren't out there aiming for pedestrians and cyclists, so how does intention factor in? UCLA's Madeline Brozen argues it can be traced back to both failure to follow road safety laws and a lack of understanding about how dangerous driving a car is — especially since unsafe speed is the top contributing factor in L.A. traffic deaths. Research shows that a pedestrian struck by a driver going 20 mph has an 80% chance of survival. If that driver accelerates to 40 mph and hits a pedestrian, the victim's chance of surviving drops to just 10%. "The act of going above the speed limit or going fast [in unsafe] road conditions...that is an intention," Brozen said. "When someone is driving in a way that can kill someone, they are creating a risk." According to John Yi, another "degree of intention" in traffic deaths falls on car-centric society and L.A.'s leaders, who are "intentional about what we're building and what we're not building." City officials have stated clearly that L.A.'s mission to eliminate traffic deaths is informed by the fact that "underserved communities are disproportionately killed in traffic crashes." But Yi argues that the historic neglect of those communities can be viewed as intentional. "To take that away, I think, is really not looking at some of the most disinvested communities and what they're going through," he said. "To put it squarely on the shoulders of drivers and say it's their fault and they're the ones who should be moderating behavior is overlooking the situation altogether."
kelnos 6y ago
I agree with that, but I think "accident" in this particular context has the undesirable property of allowing people to weasel out of taking responsibility. Just because you didn't intend to do something, it doesn't make it not your fault if you do. But the system and culture around this is set up to try to disclaim blame, even to the point that insurance companies tell you to never ever admit you were at fault after a crash.

An accident is just something that occurs without intention. In the cases you're describing people don't intend to hit another car or person. That makes accident a reasonable label.

riffic 6y ago

Behaviors and design are themselves an intention. This post addresses "The Semantics of Intention": https://laist.com/2020/01/03/car_crash_accident_traffic_violence_language.php https://laist.com/2020/01/03/car_crash_accident_traffic_viol... excerpt: Drivers aren't out there aiming for pedestrians and cyclists, so how does intention factor in? UCLA's Madeline Brozen argues it can be traced back to both failure to follow road safety laws and a lack of understanding about how dangerous driving a car is — especially since unsafe speed is the top contributing factor in L.A. traffic deaths. Research shows that a pedestrian struck by a driver going 20 mph has an 80% chance of survival. If that driver accelerates to 40 mph and hits a pedestrian, the victim's chance of surviving drops to just 10%. "The act of going above the speed limit or going fast [in unsafe] road conditions...that is an intention," Brozen said. "When someone is driving in a way that can kill someone, they are creating a risk." According to John Yi, another "degree of intention" in traffic deaths falls on car-centric society and L.A.'s leaders, who are "intentional about what we're building and what we're not building." City officials have stated clearly that L.A.'s mission to eliminate traffic deaths is informed by the fact that "underserved communities are disproportionately killed in traffic crashes." But Yi argues that the historic neglect of those communities can be viewed as intentional. "To take that away, I think, is really not looking at some of the most disinvested communities and what they're going through," he said. "To put it squarely on the shoulders of drivers and say it's their fault and they're the ones who should be moderating behavior is overlooking the situation altogether."

kelnos 6y ago

I agree with that, but I think "accident" in this particular context has the undesirable property of allowing people to weasel out of taking responsibility. Just because you didn't intend to do something, it doesn't make it not your fault if you do. But the system and culture around this is set up to try to disclaim blame, even to the point that insurance companies tell you to never ever admit you were at fault after a crash.