(vocab list, definitions, sample sentences, and review worksheet)
VOCAB LIST: Traffic Accidents
collide (v.) / collision (n.) – when two things (cars, etc.) hit each other
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- Luckily, no one was injured in the collision.
- The two cars collided, but both drivers were wearing their seatbelts.
T-bone – when a car gets hit in the side by another car (it looks like a “T”)
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- The passenger was injured when the car was T-boned by a truck.
rear-end (v.) – when one car hits another car from behind
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- Someone rear-ended me because I stopped too suddenly at a stop light.
insurance (n.) – a system for protecting people when they get injured; if you buy car insurance, the insurance company will pay for your car if you are in an accident.
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- Luckily my insurance paid for everything after the truck collided with my car.
jaws of life – the tool used to cut people out of a car when they are trapped inside (after an accident)
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- Rescuers had to use the jaws of life to rescue the woman from her car after the collision.
bumper (n.) – the part of a car that usually hits other cars when they “bump” each other
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- Most cars have bumpers on the front and back to protect them from minor collisions.
dent (n., v.) – a small place that looks “pressed in” because it has been hit (but not too hard); usually a car is “dented” if it is hit by another car in a parking lot.
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- There’s a dent in my car because someone backed into my car in the parking lot this morning.
totaled (adj.) – when a car is completely destroyed after an accident; if a car is “totaled”, it lost all of its value due to an accident. It is cheaper to buy a new car than to fix a “totaled” car.
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- After a high-speed collision, both cars were totaled. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.
whiplash (n.) – a neck injury caused when the neck moves too quickly or suddenly (often in rear-end collisions)
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- I’m wearing a neck brace because I got whiplash when a car rear-ended me last week.
skid marks (n.) – the black lines on the road that are caused when a vehicle brakes suddenly
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- Police can tell from the skid marks how fast the driver was going.
breath test / breathalyzer (n.) – a test to determine if a person has been drinking alcohol
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- After the accident, police gave both drivers a breathalyzer to see if they had been drinking or not.
VOCAB REVIEW: Traffic Accidents
Fill in the blanks below with the words below:
collide / T-bone / rear-end / insurance
jaws of life / bumper / dent
totaled / whiplash / skid marks / breathalyzer
1. Mary’s car was __________ after the accident, so her insurance company paid for a new car.
2. The __________ prove that the driver tried to stop before the accident.
3. There is a small __________ in my passenger-side door because someone backed into my car while I was buying groceries.
4. I accidentally __________ someone at the stop light today. I wasn’t paying attention and the car in front of me stopped suddenly, so I accidentally hit it from behind. The other driver had to go to the hospital because he had __________.
5. My __________ won’t pay to fix that dent in my car, so I’m just going to ignore it.
6. After the collision, rescuers had to use the __________ to rescue the woman and her daughter from the wreckage.
7. The passenger in my car was seriously injured when someone ran a red light and __________ my car.
8. A car gently rear-ended me at a stop light today, but neither car was dented because we just hit our __________.
9. The motorcyclist was seriously injured after he __________ with an oncoming car.
10. The police officer gave me a ___________ because he said he thought he smelled alcohol.
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