Accident Terms and Definitions

Affidavit
A written or printed declaration or statement under oath Affirm - The assertion of an appellate court that the judgment of the lower court is correct and should stand.

Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)
Calculated based on the following equation: YPLL = Fixed Age - Age at death. Usually the fixed age is 65 or 70, or the life expectancy of the group in question.

Using cell phone
Some state have banned types of cell phone use while driving. This can be very dangerous and my be a cause of an accident.

Common law
Law which derives its authority solely from usage and customs of immemorial antiquity or from the judgments and decrees of courts. also called "case law."

Tailgating
Folowing too close to another car, not alowing space for you to brake or car in front to brake. The operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property

Choice no fault
In some state a hybrid no fault system known as " choice no fault " exists. In these states, you may choose to be insured under a strict no-fault plan, in which case you're unable to sue an at fault driver and also can't be sued if you're at fault.

Collision Scrub
Occurs during a traffic collision when the downward and rotating forces cause a smearing of tire material on the road surface.

Breakover Angle
when a vehicle crests a hill, it's the angle at which the front tires still remain on the ground as the rear wheels continue to climb (see High Centered)

Comparative negligence
Negligence of a plaintiff in a civil suit which decreases his recovery by his percentage of negligence compared to a defendant's negligence.

Linear Momentum
A quantity associated with the motion of an object along a straight path. The linear momentum of an object is defined to be equal to its mass times its velocity.