ABSTRACT
The specific crashes that we see, hear, or read about in the media are those judged newsworthy-those with the most tragic outcomes and those involving culpable, reprehensible behaviour, especially if they involve a group of teenagers. Newsworthy typically means crashes that conform with our stereotype of fault on the part of one or more of those involved, and we later explore in some detail how this stereotype evolved and the powerful influence it has had on traffic safety policy and practice, and how it helps explain why complacency rules.
