Why do they call them "Accidents"?

[Pipeliner]

Every day going to and from work I hear on the radio about 'accidents' causing massive traffic delays on the main commuter routes.

OneLook dictionary describes 'accident' as

Quick definitions (accident)
noun: anything that happens by chance without an apparent cause
noun: a mishap; especially one causing injury or death

Now, for 99% of these so-called 'accidents' there is a very apparent cause - usually a driver who thinks he owns the road and everyone else should get out of the way, or someone spending so much time on the phone or doing their makeup that they fail to notice that the car in front has stopped.

So I'm starting a campaign to get the radio stations to stop referring to them as 'accidents' and call them what they really are:-

STUPIDITIES.

Contact your local radio station and point out how they are misusing the English language, and get them to use the correct term.

I bet a few people would improve their driving if they knew that the results of their bad habits would be referred to publically as "STUPIDITIES"!

[Cj's TJ]

I prefer the use of "Collision" because at least that has to be accurate in some way.

[H.G.]

hahahaha I like that ..
especially for brisbane drivers in the wet.. melbourne always feels so much safer when its raining in brisbane..
although thats probably because there are hardly any melbournians left in melbourne due to them all moving up to brisbane.

[CAD]

The word "Accident" insinuate's theres no one to blame.

[Mooreyfiveo]

This is one of the reasons the Accident Investigation Section (Victoria Police) is now called Major Collision Investigation Unit.

[Cj's TJ]

And anyway, who can pick the difference between an accident and a "Deliberately out of Frustration"

Not that any of us would do that!

[Yimmithir]

In emergency services here in QLD we refer to accidents as an "RTC" = Road Traffic Crash.