Accident Terms and Definitions

Brake Build-up (Brake Lag)
Occurs just after the brakes are applied and continues until they lock.

Using cell phone
Some state have banned types of cell phone use while driving. This can be very dangerous and my be a cause of an accident.

Impaired Driving
Can be alcohol or any oher substance that changes judgement while driving. Impaired driving will affect one in three Americans during their lifetimes (NHTSA 2001a).

Soft Tissue Injury
Injuries sustained to the muscle, skin, connective tissue.

Reference Point
In angular momentum, the point in space around which the motion of an object is described. The angular momentum of an object is defined in relation to some point, the reference point. The velocity and radius of an object are measured from the reference point.

Pedestrian Manifestations
Those items of evidence deposited at the collision scene by the pedestrian during or following impact.

Failure to signal
There are laws and driving rules that instruct proper turning signals, at time a hand or a light signal is required to be used. A right hand turn may not be permited, or a turn in an intersection may be done incorectly.

Adjudication
A judgment or decree Adversary system - Basic U.S. trial system in which each of the opposing parties has opportunity to state his viewpoints before the court. Plaintiff argues for defendant's guilt (criminal) or liability (civil). Defense argues for defendant's innocence (criminal) or against liability civil).

Raised Pavement Markers (R.P.M.)
Non-reflectorized ceramic pavement markers, also known as "Bott's Dotts", are most often used to delineate travel lane lines. Reflectorized RPM's come in many different colors and are used to delineate travel lane lines and outside boundaries.

Collision
Pays for damage to your car caused by physical contact with another vehicle or with another object, such as a tree, boulder, guardrail, structure, or person.