As police forces across the UK launch their annual Christmas drink and drug driving campaigns, new research reveals significant progress in shifting collision reporting language but highlights areas that still need improvement.
The analysis, conducted by journalist Laura Laker and funded by the Foundation for Integrated Transport, assessed 227 press releases from 45 police forces and found that the use of the word “accident” is now rare, appearing just eight times. However, the report highlights a persistent tendency to refer to vehicles, rather than drivers, as active participants in collisions.
This language, seen in 70% of police press releases, frames vehicles as autonomous agents – examples include phrases like “the vehicle attempted to drive the wrong way” – and can divert attention from the role of driver behaviour.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of press releases describe vehicles as acting independently, while 22% provide additional context to collisions, which research shows is essential for improving public understanding of road danger.
Support from UK’s top roads policing officer
Chief Constable Jo Shiner, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) roads policing lead, acknowledged the progress: “I am incredibly supportive of these Road Collision Reporting Guidelines because we know how important using the right language at the right time is, not just for accurate reporting, but also of course, for victims, families, friends and communities.
“A key pillar in the NPCC Roads Policing Strategy is about ‘Changing Minds’. Language matters if we are to change minds and inform the public of the truly devastating consequences death and injury has on our roads every day. It is also important to ensure anyone with information that can help a police investigation can come forward with confidence and therefore how we describe a collision, and all of the elements involved in it, is vital to securing that public support.”
The Road Collision Reporting Guidelines, launched in 2021 and endorsed by the NPCC, advocate for clear, people-first language to improve public understanding of collisions and their causes. However, Freedom of Information requests reveal only five police forces have formally adopted the guidelines, with just one actively implementing them in practice.
Backed by RoadPeace
RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, proudly supported Laura Laker in developing the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines and has long championed her efforts through its own Crash Not Accident Campaign. Since its inception, the campaign has worked to challenge the widespread use of the term ‘accident,’ which diminishes public understanding of the preventable nature of road crashes.
Howard Jones, CEO of RoadPeace, commented: “We are proud of our Crash Not Accident Campaign and the significant strides we’ve made in changing the language surrounding road crashes. Laura’s work has been a vital part of this, and we fully support the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines, which are key in helping to shift perceptions and ensure a more accurate, responsible dialogue about road harm. By moving away from language that suggests crashes are inevitable, we can help the public understand that these tragedies are preventable and that responsibility lies with those who cause them.”
Impact of language on public perception
The report emphasises that small changes in language – such as specifying “a driver being behind the wheel” – can significantly impact perceptions of responsibility and the preventability of road deaths. Research shows audiences are 30% more likely to focus blame on vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, when the role of drivers is omitted.
Laura Laker, explained: “Media descriptions of road collisions, particularly those involving pedestrians or cyclists, tend to be unbalanced, describing a victim first, and the person behind the wheel of a vehicle later, and sometimes not at all. Pedestrian casualties are depicted as isolated tragedies, cycling casualties as typical, while erasing the presence of drivers in collisions. News outlets commonly copy their use of language from police press releases verbatim.”
The full research findings and updated Road Collision Reporting Guidelines can be accessed at www.rc-rg.com. RoadPeace continues to advocate for improved reporting practices to support victims, families, and the wider community in striving for safer roads.
Updated on: 11 December 2024