http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/03/whats-word-nypd-changes-way-it-talks-about-traffic-deaths/4935/ (http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/03/whats-word-nypd-changes-way-it-talks-about-traffic-deaths/4935/)
NYC will start calling car-related injuries and deaths "collisions", not "accidents". One term implies avoidable and therefore prosecutable actions, the other does not. NYC is going to step up protection of pedestrians and cyclists. I'm going to stop using "accident" from now on.
I think Florida DMV and DOT refer to them as "crashes".