That was an excellent article. I had no idea that it was such a purposeful process.
I think the reason most people have no problem continuing to use the word "accident" is that they identify themselves with drivers, and can easily visualize themselves having an accident. There are so many drivers, and they're so habituated to driving that traffic, congestion, air pollution and the rest is not a personal issue that they feel any responsibility for.
Not that groupthink is specific to drivers. Almost every day I see pedestrians waiting at a red light, one or two will see that the road is clear and cross anyway (this isn't illegal here), and a dozen people will blindly follow *without even looking.* Sometimes my bike and I are "the next car" arriving after a gap in traffic, and I'll see a sea of people crossing on a red, not looking at me.
Winter riding is much less about badassery and much more about bundle-uppery. - malkin
1995 Kona Cinder Cone commuterFrankenbike/Selle Italia SLR Lady Gel Flow
2008 white Nakamura Summit Custom mtb/Terry Falcon X
2000 Schwinn Fastback Comp road bike/Specialized Jett