AAA says call a car crash what it is, not an accident

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - A startling statistic on Wisconsin’s roadways last year has prompted AAA to ask everyone to make a New Year’s resolution.

The auto club group wants people to stop referring to car crashes as accidents.

According to AAA, 2020 proved to be a more deadly year on Wisconsin roads than likely anyone expected.

“If you look over the last 12 months, we’ve certainly seen a significant decrease in traffic volumes and vehicle miles traveled during the pandemic, but we have not seen a decrease in the number of fatal crashes on the road, in fact we’ve seen about a 7-percent increase in Wisconsin,” says Nich Jarmusz, AAA Director of Public Affairs.

That’s why AAA is asking all Wisconsinites to change the way they talk and think about car crashes.

Namely, stop calling them accidents.

“We typically hear the word accident being used interchangeably and while it may seem pedantic and certainly no one intentionally gets into a crash, accident can have the effect of making people think that it’s something that’s kind of unavoidable or just an inevitable part of driving,” says Jarmusz.

And according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nothing could be further from the truth, pointing out that 94-percent of all crashes are the result of driver error.

“The big three, especially in terms of fatal crashes, are alcohol or drug impaired driving, speeding, and then distraction,” explains Jarmusz.

At a time many of us have made New Year’s resolutions, AAA is hoping calling a car crash a crash can be a simple one.

“You can still eat whatever you want while you’re calling crashes crashes, it’s a little bit easier, but hopefully is something that will make us all a little bit safer on the roads this year,” says Jarmusz.

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