People talk about car accidents in surprisingly casual ways.
Though people die in these accidents every day, there is a whole host of creative or sarcastic terms used as shorthand to refer to specific types of accidents.
If you’ve ever wondered what someone is talking about when they refer to having their cars written off or being involved in a SMIDSY, you’ll want to take a look at 10 Ironics Terms Used In Vehicular Accidents below.
Related Buyer’s Guide:
There are 10 Ironic Terms Used In Vehicular Accidents
1. Ding
You’ve probably heard of someone being dinged in the past, and you’ve probably written it off as a minor problem.
Though the term definitely comes from the small dents that can be left in vehicles during such accidents, the level of damage that could be left behind can actually be quite severe.
Remember, just because the car looks like it’s in good shape doesn’t mean that the “ding” didn’t do damage where it’s not easy to see.
Reading more:
2. Fender Bender
The term fender bender comes from the classic accident in which one car runs into the back of another.
Though there’s not always serious physical damage to the vehicle, there’s enough to prove that both cars were in an accident.
What people tend to forget, though, is that serious injuries can occur during these accidents.
It’s not uncommon to see someone injured from the motion caused by this sort of collision, and using this kind of imaginative, ironic name does a disserve to those who have been in this type of accident.
Reading more:
3. Doored
Unfortunately, accidents can happen even when your vehicle isn’t moving. Are you familiar with the term “getting doored”?
Jeffrey Preszler at www.preszlerlaw.com explains that when a bicyclist collides with a suddenly-opened door on a parked car, that incident is called being “doored.”.
Getting doored might sound funny, but it can actually be deadly. When motorists refuse to properly look out for cyclists, the potential for harm can be significant.
It’s important that motorists and cyclists both pay attention to avoid this type of distressingly common accident.
Reading more:
4. Jack-Knife
A jackknife is a specific type of accident when a tractor-trailer loses control and its front and back halves move towards one another.
Though the term is actually fairly accurate in terms of the shape that the truck makes, it certainly downplays the level of danger in which it puts both the truck driver and the rest of the cars on the road.
When a jack-knife occurs, there’s a very good chance that serious injuries will follow.
Reading more:
5. SMIDSY
SMIDSY is an acronym for “Sorry man, I didn’t see you”.
It’s typically used by drivers when they hit either bicyclists or motorcyclists, either when the biker was in the car’s blind spot or when the driver was not paying adequate attention.
SMIDSY injuries can range from minor damage to bicycles to death, but they’re typically played off as a hazard of riding a bike on the road.
Ignore the name here – when one of these accidents occurs, a mere apology will rarely undo the damage to the rider.
6. Plow
A good plow is a driver’s best friend during the winter. After all, it picks up and scoops away the snow.
When someone plows through an intersection, though, they tend to move bodies and vehicles instead of snow.
Though the connotation of the term seems to refer to something helpful, the truth is that anyone who plows through traffic is causing a significant amount of trouble for everyone else who is on the road.
Reading more:
7. Pileup
Multiple-car accidents are typically called pileups. These accidents can cause damage to between two and three vehicles, and they are always complex.
This is the type of accident one would contact a lawyer about, both because of the difficulty in determining fault and the injuries that can occur during the pile-up itself.
Despite the name, though, the pile-up is as much about the ‘pile’ of traffic that tends to accrue behind the vehicles as the pile in which the vehicles might be found.
8. Broadside/T-Bone
Getting hit on the side of a vehicle can be quite dangerous for anyone who is sitting on that side.
This term is commonly used when the front of a vehicle crashes into the side of another, causing a significant amount of damage.
The term ‘t-bone’ comes from the shape that the cars make, but there’s certainly nothing innocent or funny about what can happen after this kind of accident.
Reading more:
9. Splashdown/Ejection
This term actually refers to a fairly horrific type of accident. In a splashdown – also known as an injection – an occupant of a vehicle is ejected out of the car through the front of the vehicle and landed on the pavement.
As you might expect, the injuries here can be horrific and there’s certainly nothing to suggest the kind of soft landing one would expect from landing in the water.
10. Write-off
This term is used for car accidents that are so bad that the insurance company will almost inevitably write off the cost of the car rather than paying for repairs to be done.
These accidents can be highly problematic for drivers because they can’t just write off their own costs – they’ll be offered an amount from the insurance agency that’s almost certainly far less than what they’d need to get into a similarly-equipped vehicle.
Write-offs, then, are really anything but for those involved.
No matter how you choose to refer to the incident, a car accident is still a very serious matter. People really can get hurt even in those accidents that have creative names and it’s important to take every accident equally seriously.
Though choosing ironic names is usually a matter of distancing oneself from the horror of these accidents, it’s important to remember that people really do get hurt and potentially even die when they’re involved with what might seem to be even the most basic types of car accidents.
Related Buyer’s Guide:
- Best Documents Fireproof Safes
- Best Under $500 Gun Safes
- Best Under $1000 Gun Safes
- Best Under $300 Gun Safes
Source: safetyhub.net
