Accident Terms and Definitions

Accident
What auto insurance is designed to cover. Accidents may be considered either at fault or not at fault. If you have at fault accidents on your driving record, your rates will be higher.

No-Fault Auto Insurance
Some states are adopting a no fault auto insurance system which requires you to have minimum insurance in the event you're injured. Your insurance company automatically pays for your damages, regardless of who is at fault for the accident.

Arbitration
the hearing and settlement of a dispute between opposing parties by a third party whose decision the parties have agreed to accept.

Aggressive Drivers (road rage)
Can be describes as: aggressive tailgating,Lights flashed at them because the other motorist was annoyed, aggressive or rude gestures,deliberate obstruction -- preventing them from moving their vehicle,verbal abuse,physical assault and other actions.

Reaction Time
The motorist who is not alert cannot cope with a sudden emergency as quickly as is necessary. An overly relaxed driver requires more time to react to an emergency than does an alert one.

Triangulation
Technique for scene documentation where items of evidence are located by measuring the distance between two (2) reference points.

Elderly & Older Drivers
Drivers typically 65 or 70 years old, most states require renewal applicants to appear in person and to pass a vision test.

Linear Momentum
A quantity associated with the motion of an object along a straight path. The linear momentum of an object is defined to be equal to its mass times its velocity.

Tripped Rollovers
NHTSA data show that 95% of single-vehicle rollovers are tripped . This happens when a vehicle leaves the roadway and slides sideways, digging its tires into soft soil or striking an object such as a curb or guardrail.

Interrogatories
Written questions developed by one party's attorney for the opposing party.