A traffic collision—also known as a car crash or motor vehicle collision—occurs when a vehicle strikes another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or object, frequently resulting in severe injury, disability, death, and substantial economic costs. These incidents represent a major global health crisis: in 2013, they caused 54 million injuries and 1.4 million deaths (up from 1.1 million in 1990), with middle-income countries bearing the heaviest burden (20 deaths per 100,000 people) while Africa has the highest fatality rate and Europe the lowest. The leading causes include speeding, distracted driving, alcohol and drug impairment, aggressive behavior, and poor road design, making road transport statistically the most dangerous daily situation people face. Notably, the term "accident" is falling out of favor because it wrongly implies the crash was unavoidable; organizations like the Associated Press updated their style guide in 2016 to recommend using "crash" or "collision," and as far back as 1997, official George L. Reagle insisted that "a crash is not an accident." This terminology shift underscores that most collisions are preventable outcomes of human error or systemic design flaws, not random misfortune.