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traffic accident

traffic accident

traffic accident

(OP)

Once I heard a purist saying that since traffic means trade, the correct wording for a road crash or collision involving vehicles, should be called transit (not traffic) accidents. Was he right ?

RE: traffic accident

IMO, No! If he was a real purist he would not have chosen "transit" as the substitute. Transit is derived from middle English & Latin words meaning, "to go across". A more apt word might be "vehicle" or better yet just "accident".

However, traffic does not only mean trade, and it has been around long enough to make its use legitimate in the term "traffic accident" .

If we were all to revert to a "pure" language, I doubt that many languages would remain intact. We certainly would not be speaking English as we recognise it today.

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: traffic accident

What a strange idea.

"Traffic", like much of the English language, has several meanings - one of which makes its use in "traffic accident" perfectly sensible.

Perhaps the pedant would prefer a word which can only mean precisely the thing he wants to describe.  If this is the case, he will be sorely disappointed by "transit", which has alternative meanings both in astronomy and marine navigation.

A.

RE: traffic accident

One company I worked for had so many company car driver "accidents" they decided the only way to reduce the insurance bill was to have driver training.

Our training came from two retired police driving instructors.  If you want to be scared, sit with with police driving instructor driving within his limits which are way beyond your own.

The point however is not that "traffic" is the wrong word but "accident". We were assured that there is no such thing as an "accident";  this implies an event beond the control of the driver. This, they told us, is extremely rare (even though in police parlance RTA means "road Traffic Accident") the cause is usually driver related. Even mechanical failures, tyres etc are the responsibility of the driver and they maintained that every time you use the car you should perform a safety check just as pilots do.

Perhaps the Americanism "Wreck" as in "I had a wreck" is more appropriate.

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

RE: traffic accident

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861721315

According to this source:
  As a noun, the first definition of traffic is "movement of vehicles.  Later definitions are tied to commerce.
  As a verb, the first definition of traffic is "trade illegally: to engage in illegal trading"

In the context of traffic accident, one would think traffic is used as a noun and the first noun definition as above applies to automobile traffic.

So I think your buddy is off the deep end.

=====================================
Eng-tips forums: The best place on the web for engineering discussions.

RE: traffic accident

jmw, australian-isms for crashes are bingle, which is funny, and smash, which is descriptive. SO after you've had a bingle you take the car to the smash repairers.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: traffic accident

Or you can be involved in a prang.

LewTam Inc.
Petrophysicist, Leading Hand, Natural Horseman, Prickle Farmer, Crack Shot, Venerable Yogi.

RE: traffic accident

accident....implies an event beond the control of the driver

Really?  If you accidentally drop a plate, does the same logic apply?  Trip and fall - injured in a "misstep" rather than an accident?

When I look up "accident" online, I find the following definitions (and others):

 an unfortunate event resulting especially from carelessness or ignorance

an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance

lack of intention or necessity

RE: traffic accident


If accident implies an event beyond the control of the driver, then no driver should ever be convicted for an accident.

A place where the word is so defined, is the best place to drive and, well, hopefully meet with no accidents.

RE: traffic accident

Crashes, prangs and fender-benders are usually caused by the lack of attention and safe driving practices of all involved parties.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
Steven K. Roberts, Technomad
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RE: traffic accident


Here's a nuance related to prangs, shunts and co-locational experiences:

COLLISION is normally accepted in everyday speech as anything hitting anything else, but should really be limited to two or more moving objects.

If one of them is stationary, its an ALLISION.

However, a google search throws up some inconsistencies - Tiscali says that allision is 'intentional' striking.

I've only heard allision used in the context of ships hitting piers, bridges etc. In most cases, this was probably not intentional, so Tiscali may be wrong.

RE: traffic accident

harrisj (Automotive)
Based on this then , instead of saying "A car collided with a tree", you should say " A car allided with a tree."?

This is based on the fact that in an allision one of the objects is not moving.
 It makes me wonder, how you should properly describe the rear end "shunt". Where one car stops moving and the other one does not.
B.E.

RE: traffic accident

Isn't allision correctly used only in reference to waterborne crafts?

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
Steven K. Roberts, Technomad
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: traffic accident

A car came in elastic contact with a tree.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
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RE: traffic accident

Ashereng

The tree may be elastic but the car is definitely plastic!

RE: traffic accident

Depends on how much speed and deformity is involved I guess.
But in general, yes, a big collision would be plastic.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: traffic accident


It amazes me how the most gentle impact seems to produce a deformation of the vehicle structure these days. The concept of deformable structures may be a life-saver in big accidents, but it's an expensive one for minor nudges.

RE: traffic accident

Late 80's Volvo 740 myself.  Even brick walls come off worse.  Seriously, I've been hit before and fixed my car with superglue, whereas the other guy had to phone his insurers.

RE: traffic accident

Speaking of vehicles, I just joined that select group of Jaguar owners who experienced an engine fire.

British technology at it's finest as the 86 XJS lit up just after I exited the interstate. Of course it took the brakes and electrical out first.

It will be a nice car with a Chevy engine now!

"If A equals success, then the formula is: A = X + Y + Z, X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut."
-- by Albert Einstein

RE: traffic accident

It appears Mad Mango is right on the collision /allision issue.
 I found this reference today which sums it up: "Collision. Striking together of two objects, one of which may be stationary. Act or instance of colliding; state of having collided. The term implies an impact or sudden contact of a moving body with an obstruction in its line of motion, whether both bodies are in motion or one stationary and the other, no matter which, in motion."
"Allision. The running of one vessel into or against another, as distinguished from a collision, i.e., the running of two vessels against each other. But this distinction is not very carefully observed."

Black's Law Dictionary, Fifth Edition
Nolan & Connolly, eds.
1979, West Publishing Co.
St. Paul, Minn.

B.E.

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