Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Accident vs. Crash: The View from Savannah

Here at Streetsblog, we often discuss the ongoing carnage caused by drivers on the nation's roads and streets -- and the near-total lack of accountability for those who are anything but staggering drunk. And we often discuss, too, the role that language plays in our perceptions of accountability. Today's Streetsblog Network featured post, from Sustainable Savannah, is a particularly thoughtful and reasonable examination of the importance of terminology -- "accidents" vs. "crashes":

355943537_9a269daacc.jpgPhoto by Brittany Randolph via Flickr.

As dependable as morning delivery of the paper (at least for now), any news item describing a car vs. pedestrian “accident” will be
greeted by comments from readers sympathizing with with driver and vilifying the pedestrian -- no matter who is at fault. Many fret over the cost of the car’s bodywork.

This is indicative of a kind of thinking that imagines cars as being autonomous from the people who drive them. I’m guilty of this as well. When I was struck while riding my bicycle several years ago, I
described it as being “hit by a car,” not “hit by a person driving a car.” And I’ve done it again in this post. Every reference to car vs. pedestrian or car vs. cyclist above should really read “motorist vs. ...”

Elsewhere around the network, many members are having a little April Fool's fun, so be careful when you click. But these items seem to be for real: Kansas Cyclist reports on a growing network of bike trails in Little Rock, Arkansas; City Parks Blog posts on the recent call for a new urban vision from New York Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff; and our friends over at Santa Rosa CityBus take stock of their blogging experiment, four months in.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Parking? Lots! Outdoor Dining Structures Are Coming Down Across the City

Another wave of New York City's beloved roadside dining structures is making way for parked cars after a key city deadline passed on Friday.

November 4, 2024

HOUSING CRISIS: Council Pushes Mayor to Create ‘City Of Yes … And’

The speaker of the City Council is demanding that Mayor Adams's signature housing initiative create more affordable units — but it's unclear if she backs the key proposal that undergirds the plan: ending mandatory parking.

November 4, 2024

Monday’s Headlines: Another Fatal Flight from Police Edition

Another cyclist has been killed by another driver fleeing police. Plus other news (including a hilarious SNL sketch about Assembly Member Harvey Epstein).

November 4, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: Hotoween Edition

The unseasonably warm weather reminds us that it's foolish that the city turned outdoor dining into an April to November thing. Plus other news.

November 1, 2024

FDNY Truck Driver Fatally Strikes Bronx Delivery Worker — 22nd Cyclist Killed this Year

A cyclist was killed by an FDNY truck responding to an emergency in Park Slope.

October 31, 2024
See all posts