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

Attention Ray Kelly: NYPD Still Using “Accident” to Describe Traffic Crashes

The NYPD web site and crash data reports don't reflect the post-"accident" policy announced by Ray Kelly three months ago.

Earlier this year, Commissioner Ray Kelly announced that the word "accident" would be eliminated from the NYPD lexicon. Not only would the Accident Investigation Squad be rebranded as the Collision Investigation Squad, Kelly said, but "accident" would be changed to "collision" on all departmental materials.

In a letter to City Council transportation chair James Vacca, Kelly said what safe streets advocates have long wanted to hear from NYC's top cop.

The term "collision," which is utilized by other jurisdictions throughout the country, provides a more accurate description. In the past, the term "accident" has sometimes given the inaccurate impression or connotation that there is no fault or liability associated with a specific event. The term "collision" will now be utilized in all relevant Department materials, forms and manuals.

From the outside, it appears the department has barely changed its terminology in the three months since Kelly’s announcement. The AIS is now the CIS, but NYPD still uses "accident" on monthly crash data reports, and on the department's web site.

And in a recent interview with the Times, Highway Patrol chief Inspector Paul Ciorra used "accident" to describe a typical DWI hit-and-run, though such a crash would be a potential felony.

“These accidents out here, it’s not two drug dealers on a corner that shot each other … Almost every time here, it’s regular folk; it’s Mr. Jones who had maybe one too many beers, hit someone and fled the scene.”

Ray Kelly said it himself: words matter. This shift won’t permeate every level of NYPD right away, of course. But as the supervisor of the Collision Investigation Squad, if anyone else in the department should have adopted the NYPD's new language, it would be Inspector Ciorra.

We have asked the NYPD Public Information office if or when "collision" will replace "accident" on the department's web site and crash data reports.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Brooklyn Judge Once Again Declines to Rip Up Bedford Ave. Protected Bike Lane… For Now

Well-connected lawyer Frank Seddio argued against the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane in court on Tuesday.

Money for Something: Funding OK’d, But Details Missing For ‘Dept. Of Sustainable Delivery’

The mayor got the Council to sign off on $6.1 million for the long-awaited “Department of Sustainable Delivery." But what's it mean? No one is talking.

July 1, 2025

Incoming Albany Mayor Could Help Safe Streets Movement Statewide

The state capital is built for the car and that is how it is experienced by our lawmakers. But could that change under a new mayor? Here's hoping.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Child Sacrificed to the SUV Edition

Stop de kindermoord! An 8-year-old boy killed by an SUV driver is the latest victim of America's obsession with big cars. Plus other news.

July 1, 2025

DOT Testimony: Removing Bedford Ave. Bike Lane Will ‘Reduce Safety’

"Removing the protected bike lane won’t remove cyclists — it will only make the street less safe," the DOT said. "The city risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor."

June 30, 2025

Hochul Signs Speed Camera Reauthorization, Enforcement Continues Through 2030

Stating a clear fact that scores of state legislators reject, Hochul said, "Speed cameras save lives and keep New Yorkers safe."

June 30, 2025
See all posts