接触事故(せっしょくじこ)

せっしょくじこ
noun
minor collision; fender bender; contact accident
legal
1. minor collision; fender bender; contact accident
A traffic accident involving light contact between vehicles, or between a vehicle and a person, bicycle, or object. Typically implies minor damage without serious injury, in contrast to a major collision.
駐車場(ちゅうしゃじょう)で接触事故(せっしょくじこ)を起(お)こした。
I had a fender bender in the parking lot.
自転車(じてんしゃ)と車(くるま)の接触事故(せっしょくじこ)が多発(たはつ)している。
Minor collisions between bicycles and cars are occurring frequently.
接触事故(せっしょくじこ)であっても警察(けいさつ)に届(とど)け出(で)なければならないことを知(し)らない人(ひと)が意外(いがい)と多(おお)い。
Surprisingly many people don't know that even a minor collision must be reported to the police.

Compound of 接触(せっしょく) ('contact; touching') and 事故(じこ) ('accident'). Describes a relatively minor traffic incident where vehicles or a vehicle and person make contact, typically resulting in scratches, dents, or light damage rather than major destruction.

Usage

  • Distinguished from 衝突(しょうとつ)事故(じこ) ('collision accident'), which implies a more forceful impact
  • Even minor contact accidents must be reported to police in Japan — failure to do so constitutes hit-and-run (当(あ)て逃(に)げ)
  • Common in insurance, police, and news reporting contexts

Common collocations

  • 接触事故(せっしょくじこ)を起(お)こす: to cause a minor collision
  • 接触事故(せっしょくじこ)に遭(あ)う: to be involved in a minor collision
  • 車(くるま)の接触事故(せっしょくじこ): car fender bender
  • 接触事故(せっしょくじこ)の届(とど)け出(で): report of a contact accident

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 衝突事故(しょうとつじこ) (collision accident)
Compare: 追突事故(ついとつじこ) (rear-end collision)
Compare: 物損事故(ぶっそんじこ) (property damage accident)
general
Added 2026.4.18 21:21 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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