Definition: Multi-vehicle road accident

Category: Transport

Any injury accident involving two or more road vehicles.

The following types of injury accidents involving two or more road vehicles are:

a) Rear-end collision: collision with another vehicle using the same lane of a carriageway and moving in the same direction, slowing or temporarily halted.

Excluded are collisions with parked vehicles.

b) Head-on collision: collision with another vehicle using the same lane of a carriageway and moving in the opposite direction, slowing or temporarily halted.

Excluded are collisions with parked vehicles.

c) Collision due to crossing or turning: collision with another vehicle moving in a lateral direction due to crossing, leaving or entering a road.

Excluded are collisions with vehicles halted and waiting to turn which should be classified under (a) or (b).

d) Other collisions, including collisions with parked vehicles: collision occurring when driving side by side, overtaking or when changing lanes; or collision with a vehicle which has parked or stopped at the edge of a carriageway, on shoulders, marked parking spaces, footpaths or parking sites, etc.

Included in B-VII-14 (d) are all collisions not covered by (a), (b) and (c). The constituent element for classification of accidents between vehicles is the first collision on the carriageway, or the first mechanical impact on the vehicle.

(Fourth version of the Transport Glossary)




Any injury accident involving two or more road vehicles only.

The following types of injury accidents involving two or more road vehicles are:

(a) Rear-end collision: collision with another vehicle using the same lane of a carriageway and moving in the same direction, slowing or temporarily halted.

Note: Included are collisions with moving vehicles;excluded are collisions with parked vehicles.

(b) Head-on collision: collision with another vehicle using the same lane of a carriageway and moving in the opposite direction, slowing or temporarily halted.

Note: Included are collisions with vehicles slowing or temporarily halted; excluded are collisions with parked vehicles.

(c) Collision due to crossing or turning: collision with another vehicle moving in a lateral direction due to crossing, leaving or entering a road.

Note: Excluded are collisions with vehicles halted and waiting to turn which should be classified under (a) or (b).

(d) Other collisions, including collisions with parked vehicles: collision occurring when driving side by side, overtaking or when changing lanes; or collision with a vehicle which has parked or stopped at the edge of a carriageway, on shoulders, marked parking spaces, footpaths or parking sites, etc.

Note: Included are all collisions not covered by (a), (b) and (c). The constituent element for classification of accidents between vehicles is the first collision on the carriageway, or the first mechanical impact on the vehicle.

(Third version of the Transport Glossary) http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/other_documents/transport_glossary_4_ed/index.cfm?TargetUrl=DSP_TRANSPORT_GLOSSARY_4_ED Eurostat, ECMT, UN/ECE, "Glossary for Transport Statistics", 3rd Edition, Luxembourg 2003