Notes on: TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

BY; DELMER A. MONDIDO,MSCRIM(CANDIDATE)

DEFINITION OF TERMS:
1. ACCIDENT- an accident is an event, occurrence or happening which is unexpected,
or designed which has an element of chance or probability and which has an
undesirable or unfortunate results.
An Accident may be usefully defined as a series of unexpected events leading to
damage to property, injury or death.
2. MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- is any motor vehicle accident
occurring on a traffic way.
3. MOTOR VEHICLE NON TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- is any motor vehicle accident
which occurs entirely in any place other than a traffic way.
Ex. A car accident on a farm or private driveway.
4. NON MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- is any accident occurring on a
traffic way involving persons using the traffic way for travel collision between
pedestrian and a bicyclist on a sidewalk.
5. MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT- is any event that resulted in unintended injury or
property damage, attributed directly or indirectly to the motion of a motor vehicle or
its load. i.e, Injury from inhalation of exhaust gas, fire, explosion, discharge of
firearm within the motor vehicle, collision between a motor vehicle and a train and
failure and any part of the motor vehicle while the vehicle is motion.
6. MOTOR VEHICLE- is a device which is self propelled and every vehicle which is
propelled by electric power obtained from over head trolley wires but not operated
upon rails and using a pneumatic tires.
7. TRAFFIC WAY- is the entire width between boundary lines of every way or place
of which any part is open for the use of the public for purposes of vehicular traffic as
a matter of right or custom.
8. PERCEPTION- is seeing, feeling or understanding the unusual or unexpected
movement or condition that could be taken as a sign of the accident about to happen.
9. ENCROACHMENT- is movement into the path assigned to another traffic unit.
Ex..crossing a center line or barrier or entering a crosswalk when occupied
10. START OF EVASIVE ACTION- is the first action taken by a traffic unit to escape
from a collision course or otherwise a hazard . This is the ‘ reaction” of the driver to
his perception and is the end of the driver reaction time.
11. LEAVING ROADWAY- is moving from the roadway. Roadway is that portion of
traffic way which is improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel,
exclusive of the shoulder.
12. LEAVING THE ROAD- is moving off the road and shoulder, if any . This may
mean going over a ditch or a curb.
13. INITIAL CONTACT- is the first accidental touching of an object collided with a
traffic unit in motion.

14. MAXIMUM ENGAGEMENT- is the greatest collapse or overlap in collision. The

force between the traffic unit and the object collided with are greatest at maximum
engagement.
15. DISENGAGEMENT- is separation of traffic unit in motion from an object which it
has collided.