Glossary — San Diego Car Accident Desk

Every term this desk uses, defined once, plainly. Files link here rather than re-defining mid-sentence.

Term	Definition
Basic speed law	Vehicle Code §22350: no speed is lawful that is not reasonable and prudent for the conditions — whatever the posted sign says.
Bodily injury liability	The coverage that pays for injuries the policyholder causes to others, up to policy limits (post-SB 1107 floor: $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident).
Border Division	The California Highway Patrol division headquartered at 9330 Farnham Street, San Diego — the CHP unit that patrols San Diego County's freeways and unincorporated roads.
Central Courthouse	The San Diego Superior Court's principal downtown courthouse, at 1100 Union Street, San Diego, CA 92101.
CHP-555	The California Highway Patrol's traffic collision report form — the standard police crash report on state highways and unincorporated county roads.
Comparative fault	California's rule (Civil Code §1714; Li v. Yellow Cab, 13 Cal.3d 804 (1975)): recovery is reduced by the claimant's own percentage of fault — not eliminated by it.
Crash file	This desk's term for the four-part record: crash record, medical record, loss record, and statement record, kept together.
Financial responsibility	The requirement that every driver be able to answer for a collision — satisfied by insurance or another approved mechanism (Vehicle Code §§16000 et seq.).
First-party claim	A claim on your own policy: collision coverage, medical payments, or UM/UIM.
Head-on collision	Front-to-front impact; closing speed is the sum of both vehicles' speeds — the highest-force geometry on the road.
I-5 / I-805	The county's parallel north-south spines: I-5 along the coast, I-805 inland — splitting north of Mission Valley and rejoining near the border.
I-8 / I-15	The east-west spine (I-8) and the interior north-south route (I-15), crossing at the Mission Valley interchange.
Liability	The legal conclusion about who owes what — the finding that follows from fault.
Mission Valley weave	The stretch where I-5, I-805, and I-8 share the valley floor — merges and exits within a mile of each other.
Property damage liability	The coverage that pays for damage the policyholder causes to others' property (post-SB 1107 floor: $15,000).
Rear-end collision	One vehicle strikes the rear of another in the same lane; the rear vehicle is presumed to control the spacing (Vehicle Code §21703).
SB 1107	California's 2022 law (Stats. 2022, ch. 717) raising minimum auto liability limits to 30/60/15 for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025.
SDPD	San Diego Police Department — takes collision reports on San Diego city streets; headquarters at 1401 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101.
Sideswipe	Lateral contact between vehicles traveling the same direction in adjacent lanes, often followed by a forced direction change.
SR-1	California's written traffic accident report to the DMV, due within 10 days for collisions involving injury, death, or property damage over $1,000 (Vehicle Code §16000).
Statute of limitations	The filing deadline for a lawsuit: two years for California personal injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1).
T-bone	A side-impact collision in which one vehicle's front strikes another's side, usually at an intersection.
Third-party claim	A claim against the at-fault driver's liability policy — paid only after fault and damages are established.
UM/UIM	Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy — offered with every California policy and applying unless waived in writing (Insurance Code §11580.2).