vehicle collision
A descriptive term in Danish law; liability depends on circumstances and intent.
A vehicle collision is, under Danish law, the actual course of events in which a vehicle strikes a person or an object. The concept is not laid down as an independent legal definition in the Danish Penal Code (straffeloven), but is used as a descriptive, traffic-technical term in legislation and in judicial practice.
Where a vehicle collision results in personal injury or death, criminal liability is assessed under the general provisions of the Penal Code — including whether the act was committed negligently or intentionally — and under the rules of the Danish Road Traffic Act (færdselsloven) on drink-driving, reckless driving and disregard of essential traffic rules.
The legal classification of a particular collision therefore depends on the circumstances: a negligent collision causing personal injury may, for example, fall under the Penal Code provisions on negligent bodily harm or negligent manslaughter, while an intentional collision may be classified as violence or homicide. In ordinary linguistic and legal usage, the word thus covers the physical event itself, whereas criminal liability is determined on the basis of the specific circumstances and the accompanying state of mind.
