Motor Vehicle Accidents: Definition And Guide (2025)

There are tens of millions of car accidents in the U.S. annually. These crashes cause millions of injuries and tens of thousands of deaths. In fact, car crashes are a leading cause of unintentional injury and death for Americans.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 94% of car accidents result from driver actions. In most states, you can seek compensation when someone else’s negligent driving injures you.

ConsumerShield is here to educate you about car accident law in your state and help you find a lawyer. Contact us for a free case review.

Motor Vehicle Accident Definition

Most states define motor vehicle accidents as including the following types of events:

Multi-Vehicle Collisions

Multi-vehicle crashes happen when two or more vehicles collide. These accidents are often attributable to the negligence of at least one driver. However, they can also result from vehicle, weather, or road issues beyond the drivers’ control.

Single-Vehicle Collisions

These crashes happen when one vehicle strikes a fixed object. Thus, they include collisions with bridge supports, guardrails, light posts, traffic signs, and even buildings. Again, many of these crashes occur because the driver acted carelessly. However, some result from vehicle malfunctions, road design, or weather factors.

Non-Motorized Accidents

Drivers of motor vehicles aren’t the only road users involved in accidents. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and bystanders can also be struck by motor vehicles. These collisions are often more dangerous than multi-vehicle crashes because pedestrians and cyclists have no protection.

Road Departures and Overturning Accidents

Although they only involve one vehicle, many states place road departures and overturning accidents in a separate category. Collisions with fixed objects tend to result in property damage, while road departures and rollovers usually only damage the vehicle.

Common Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries

Motor vehicle collisions cause injuries in three primary ways. First, a blunt impact from a vehicle or the road can fracture bones. Second, sharp objects, like glass shards, can penetrate the skin, lacerating tissue and causing bleeding. Third, the intense motion of the body during a crash can hyperextend joints, tear tissues, and jolt the brain.

Here are some common injuries that result from these accidents:

Concussions

A concussion is a type of minor brain injury that happens when the brain whips around inside the skull without colliding with the bone. The jolt causes the brain to experience inflammation that can result in confusion, clumsiness, and memory loss.

Fractured Bones

Bones can fracture due to blunt impacts or the unnatural twisting and bending that the body undergoes during a collision. For example, the impact of the inflating airbag can fracture the bones in the fingers, wrists, or arms. Similarly, the whipping of a driver’s body can break vertebrae.

Fatal Injuries

The risk of a fatal car accident injury varies by collision type. Rear-end collisions are less likely to cause death because both vehicles are headed in the same direction. By contrast, head-on crashes are more likely to cause fatal injuries because all the energy of both vehicles is compounded.

Some injuries that can kill motor vehicle accident victims include:

• Spinal cord injuries, particularly those high in the neck
• Massive internal or external bleeding
• Severe brain injuries

When a car accident causes death, the victim’s family or estate can pursue a wrongful death claim in most states.

Proving Liability for Motor Vehicle Crashes

Liability for car accidents in most states hinges on negligence, which is when a driver fails to exercise reasonable care, thereby exposing other road users to the risk of injury or death.

Negligence is a common factor in traffic violations. It can also occur when a driver does something that’s legal but still unreasonably dangerous, such as eating while driving.

Every state except New Hampshire requires liability insurance. This type of insurance pays victims for losses that result from the negligent actions of an insured driver. To win a liability claim, you or your car accident lawyer must prove that the other driver’s actions were negligent and directly caused your losses.

A few states add another layer to their insurance laws. “No-fault” insurance compensates all crash victims for minor injuries regardless of who caused the accident. However, residents of these states lose the right to sue unless they incur certain losses or injuries.

Unique Characteristics of Motor Vehicle Crashes

You might expect all motor vehicle crashes to be more or less the same. However, different types of collisions involve different forces and injuries and raise unique issues under motor vehicle accident law.

Car Accidents

Car accidents are the baseline used to measure other crashes. These collisions involve passenger vehicles, such as:

• Sedans
• SUVs
• Pickup trucks
• Vans

A typical car accident calls for the standard procedure of filing an insurance claim with the no-fault insurer or the at-fault driver’s liability insurer.

Truck Accidents

Commercial vehicles like semi-trucks, delivery trucks, and construction vehicles can cause more serious injuries because of their immense weight. However, federal laws require their operators to carry large insurance policies and surety bonds to pay for the damage and injuries they cause in truck accidents.

Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists are more likely to be injured or killed in a crash than car or truck occupants. Motorcycle accidents also present a greater risk of head injuries. As a result, states with no-fault insurance rarely include motorcycles in their programs.