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Often when describing road incidents we get statements like the CAR skidded, slid, hit, bumped, accelerated into, ran into, rear ended, crashed, etc. A car will not do any of these things without the input of a driver. Are these examples of blame anything but me?
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...Are these examples of blame anything but me?...
Not really, the car skidded, the driver didn't.
The driver may have caused the skid, but one of the first rules of reporting accidents is not to apportion blame.
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Just did it this week. Mrs H arrived home to find me squatting down by the nearside front door with some colour-match T-cut. I explained the situation by saying that the car had picked up a long scratch.
Rubbish. I drove too close to a damn hedge and scratched the car myself.
Now I'm off for some self-flagellation with some willow twigs then jump into a bath full of crushed ice ...
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The phrase I really hate is 'It just went out of control'
If you weren't driving like a twonk perhaps it wouldn't have done!
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The creed for the modern age, accept no responsibilty for the results of your actions.
Hence we have ludicrous warning messages on take away coffee cups being just one tiny example of a country devoid of simple common sense, another thing to thank Americans for.
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What 'rules' of reporting accidents are those then Iffy? If we're not to apportion blame (to a person) then to what or whom??
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...What 'rules' of reporting accidents are those then Iffy? If we're not to apportion blame (to a person) then to what or whom??...
Woodster,
The rules of responsible and accurate reporting, which as with most rules are obeyed far more often than they are not.
I was referring, as I think was the OP, to the initial reporting of the accident.
It is not up to the newspaper to apportion blame, the facts can speak for themselves.
Blame may be apportioned later by a combination of your lot, the CPS and the courts, and that can, and often is, reported.
The other reason for caution is things are not always as they seem, there might have been a blow out, in which case the fault could lie with the tyre manufacturer, or the brakes might have failed because some fast fit fitter left the pipes loose, a passenger might have grabbed the wheel, etc etc.
There was a case in County Durham in which someone took a pot shot at a police car with an air rifle.
The copper crashed the car, and I don't think anyone was inclined to blame him for it when the facts emerged, although it didn't look too clever at first blush.
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Car, or driver? - Iffy
