Why should 乌鸦传媒淎ccident乌鸦传媒� (referring to road traffic incidents) go the way of other words like negro, midget and retarded?
Because it carries heavy baggage of unaccountability.
History lesson: In the early 1900s, when companies were looking to protect themselves from the costs of caring for workers injured on the job, 乌鸦传媒淩elentless safety campaigns started calling these events 乌鸦传媒榓ccidents,乌鸦传媒� which excused the employer of responsibility乌鸦传媒�. (May 22, 2016, quoting history professor Dr. Peter Norton.
Matt goes on sharing Dr. Norton乌鸦传媒檚 history lesson: 乌鸦传媒淲hen traffic deaths spiked in the 1920s, a consortium of auto-industry interests, including insurers, borrowed the word to shift the focus away from the cars themselves.乌鸦传媒�
The word stuck, it乌鸦传媒檚 connotation of unaccountable inevitability getting in the way of taking important steps to fix an ongoing, and growing, road safety disaster.
Overly dramatic? There is an average of over 175 collisions resulting in casualties every day in British Columbia. And crashes resulting in at least one fatality occur an average of every one and one-third days (2016 statistics). The numbers are growing.
Road safety advocates have been campaigning against the 乌鸦传媒淎乌鸦传媒� word for years. Here are some quotes I乌鸦传媒檝e found online:
乌鸦传媒淲hen you use the word 乌鸦传媒榓ccident乌鸦传媒�, it乌鸦传媒檚 like 乌鸦传媒楪od made it happen乌鸦传媒� (Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration);
乌鸦传媒淭he word wrongly implies that human decisions and actions have nothing to do with it乌鸦传媒� (Jeff Larason, former Boston traffic reporter, now director of highway safety for Massachusetts);
乌鸦传媒淭he phrase 乌鸦传媒榠t was just an accident乌鸦传媒� serves both as a claim of innocence and as an exoneration.乌鸦传媒� (RoadPeace);
乌鸦传媒淲hen we say 乌鸦传媒榓ccident,乌鸦传媒� we are basically throwing up our hands and saying that the deaths of children like Allison are inevitable, something no one is responsible for, like bad weather乌鸦传媒ξ谘淮綕 (His-Pei Liao).
There is a web site dedicated to this issue: , which has a compelling introduction:
乌鸦传媒淣ot all crashes are 乌鸦传媒榓ccidents乌鸦传媒�. Crimes are not 乌鸦传媒榓ccidents乌鸦传媒�. It乌鸦传媒檚 not an 乌鸦传媒榓ccident乌鸦传媒� when a person makes a decision to drive drunk, distracted, or in a negligent manner. Stop giving criminals a pass by calling it an 乌鸦传媒榓ccident乌鸦传媒�.乌鸦传媒�
A national (United States) to eliminate the 乌鸦传媒淎乌鸦传媒� word was kicked off June 8, 1997. I cannot possibly articulate the issue better than the road safety giants who carefully crafted the proclamation:
PROCLAMATION
Whereas, changing the way we think about events and the words we use will affect the way we behave. Our goal is to eliminate the word 乌鸦传媒渁ccident乌鸦传媒� from the realm of unintentional injury, on the highway and across the nation;
Whereas, motor vehicle crashes and injuries are predictable, preventable events. Continued use of the word 乌鸦传媒渁ccident乌鸦传媒� promotes the concept that these events are outside of human influence or control. In fact, they are predictable results of specific actions;
Whereas, we can identify their causes and take action to avoid them. These are not 乌鸦传媒渁cts of God乌鸦传媒�, but predictable results of the laws of physics;
Whereas, use of the word 乌鸦传媒渁ccident乌鸦传媒� works against bringing the appropriate resources to bear on this enormous problem. It allows the idea that the resulting injuries are an unexpected part of life;
Now, therefore, we the undersigned, in recognition of this life saving and injury preventing opportunity, do hereby proclaim a national campaign:
乌鸦传媒淐rashes Aren乌鸦传媒檛 Accidents乌鸦传媒�
To eliminate the word 乌鸦传媒渁ccident乌鸦传媒� from the realm of unintentional injury, on the highway and across the nation, with our partners, with the media, and in all public contexts.
by Canada乌鸦传媒檚 Traffic Injury Research Foundation, dated December, 2017, gives a supportive Canadian perspective.
My column last week included a teaser, that I would share the results of an on camera debate about this issue with local journalist, Kent Molgat. He was very kind and would have granted me the win regardless of my performance. Unfortunately, you won乌鸦传媒檛 be able to see the debate because an example I used for how the 乌鸦传媒淎乌鸦传媒� word would not fit all unintentional occurrences (a sniper target shooting on a crowded beach, 乌鸦传媒渁ccidentally乌鸦传媒� blowing off a child乌鸦传媒檚 head) failed to meet publication standards!
How about we come on board to eliminate the 乌鸦传媒淎乌鸦传媒� word when referring to motor vehicle collisions, crashes, and incidents in Kelowna? Will the local news media sign on? Will you?
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