ABD - Glossary

The Association of British Drivers
Glossary

A list of definitions of acronyms, terms, and words you may find on our website.

ACPO
Association of Chief Police Officers.
ACPOS
Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.
ANPR
Automatic Number Plate Recognition. A system comprising a camera linked to a computer capable of reading the number plates of moving vehicles.
CPS
Crown Prosecution Service.
DfT
Department for Transport.
DVLA
Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Entry slip
A slip road onto a motorway.
Exit slip
A slip road exiting a motorway.
Fatal Accident
An accident involving a fatality. This is the only category of accident that even the government can't fiddle. See 'Serious Injury Accident' and 'Slight Injury Accident'.
Galileo
An EU backed satellite navigation system intended to provide the means to impose road tolls and external control of vehicle speeds aross Europe.
Gatso
A Dutch company who make speed cameras.
IAM
Institute of Advanced Motorists.
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
ISA
Intelligent Speed Adaptation. A total misnomer, since it is actually replacing intelligent speed adaption by unintelligent speed adaption.
KSI
Killed or seriously injured. A statistical figure that combines fatal and serious injury accidents into one figure. Used by government to hide fatalty figures, or to make fatality figures seem larger than they actually are.
NIP
Notice of Intended Prosecution
Overbridge
A road bridge allowing a road to pass over a motorway or dual carriageway.
PACTS
Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety.
The ABD is a member in an attempt to bring some balance.
Prat Perch
Coloquial term for an elevated observation point beside a motorway used by police cars or speed camera vans.
(From the name given by Formula 1 drivers to the team managers' booth on the pit wall. Thanks to Martin Brundell for sharing that with the world!)
Safety Camera
The device formerly known as speed camera. Renamed for propaganda purposes.
Serious Injury Accident
An accident classed as involving a 'serious' injury. The problem with this is understanding exactly what constitutes 'serious', and the fact that it has been redefined at least once in recent years. The current official definition is: "Serious injury" means an injury which is sustained by a person in a reportable accident and which:
(a) requires hospitalisation for more than 48 hours commencing within seven days from the date on which the injury was received; or
(b) results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose); or
(c) involves lacerations which cause nerve, muscle or tendon damage or severe haemorrhage; or
(d) involves injury to any internal organ; or
(e) involves second or third degree burns or any burns affecting more than five percent of the body surface; or
(f) involves verified exposure to infectious substances or injurious radiation; and seriously injured shall be construed accordingly.

N.B. (a) may be influenced by the availability of hospital beds.
(e) the percentage of body surface burnt is unlikely to be measured scientifically, and so will simply be estimated by a doctor.
Slight Injury Accident
An accident classed as involving a 'slight' injury. The problem with this is understanding exactly what constitutes 'slight', and the fact that it has been redefined at least once in recent years. According to the definition for Serious Injury Accident, the fracture of a finger, toes or noise is a 'slight injury'. But what of a tiny scratch, or a bruise?
SPECS
A type of speed camera that records vehcile registrations at two points a known distance apart and calculates the average speed between them. Refered to on roadside signs as 'Average Speed Cameras'. SPECS camera are paited yellow and mounted on dark blue posts, or overhead gantries on motorways.
Talivan
A colloquial term for speed camera vans.
TfL
Transport for London.
Truvelo
A South African company who make speed cameras.
Underbridge
A road bridge allowing a road to pass under a motorway or dual carriageway.
VAS
Vehicle Activated Sign. Often used to display a speed limit, or a bend warning sign.