NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT

31 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546

20 September 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Chief Tom Weitzel

708 447 2127 tweitzel@riverside.il.us

Riverside Police Chief Orders All Personnel to Stop Using the Word
Accident in Criminal Acts Involving an Automobile
Issues directive for officers to use proper term of crash
Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel on Friday, September 18, 2015 issued a directive to his
personnel to not use the word accident in their preparation of police reports or dealing with
media when there is an arrest in an automobile crash. Instead they have been directed to use
the word crash. This may seem like a small matter but that is not the case.
Chief Weitzel stated, Not all roadway crashes are accidents. In instances where offenders are
driving intoxicated, driving with suspended or revoked driver's licenses or recklessly disregarding
traffic laws, it is a crash not an accident. They are devastating and preventable events, not
chances, mishaps or mistakes. While there may be instances where the term accidents are
appropriate, officers will be directed to use the appropriate term.
Chief Weitzel went on to say, The term accident suggests something unintentional, and most
collisions certainly are not premeditated. However, it also suggests something that was beyond
any control. When the facts of the case are known and deemed a criminal act, the use of the
term accident is inappropriate and the term crash should be used.
Crash/accident investigation is not just statistical; it causes a great deal of suffering to people
who have lost loved ones or who are permanently disabled. Traffic crashes have a big impact
on people's lives.