Italian accident vocabulary 1: at the scene and the police

The words below are the ones that appear on forms, on official documents and in the mouths of the people at the roadside. Knowing what they actually mean is worth more than a translation app, because several of them do not have a clean equivalent in other systems.

The accident statement

The single most important term is the first one. Everything in an Italian claim without police attendance runs through this document.

• Constatazione Amichevole di Incidente (CAI/CID) — EN: European Accident Statement · DE: Europäischer Unfallbericht · PL: wspólne oświadczenie o zdarzeniu. The blue-and-white two-part form. Signing is not an admission of guilt; it records facts.
• Modulo blu — literally "blue form", the everyday name for the same document.
• Firma — EN: signature · DE: Unterschrift · PL: podpis. Firmare = to sign.
• Osservazioni — EN: observations/remarks · DE: Bemerkungen · PL: uwagi. The free-text field where you record anything you disagree with.
• Schizzo — EN: sketch · DE: Unfallskizze · PL: szkic sytuacyjny. The drawing of the collision on the form.

Police and official records

• Polizia Stradale — the traffic police, responsible for motorways and main roads.
• Carabinieri — a national force with general policing duties, common outside the cities.
• Polizia Locale / Vigili Urbani — municipal police, who handle most urban accidents.
• Verbale — EN: official report/record · DE: polizeiliches Protokoll · PL: notatka/protokół. The document the attending officers produce; ask for its reference number.
• Denuncia — EN: formal report or complaint · DE: Anzeige · PL: zgłoszenie/zawiadomienie. What you file at a station, for example after a hit-and-run or a break-in.
• Querela — a formal criminal complaint by the injured party; more than a simple report, and a term worth recognising if it is used.

The event itself

• Incidente / sinistro — EN: accident / claim event · DE: Unfall / Schadenfall · PL: wypadek / zdarzenie szkodowe. Sinistro is the insurance word.
• Tamponamento — EN: rear-end collision · DE: Auffahrunfall · PL: najechanie na tył.
• Urto — EN: impact · DE: Anstoß · PL: uderzenie.
• Testimone — EN: witness · DE: Zeuge · PL: świadek.
• Feriti — EN: injured persons · DE: Verletzte · PL: ranni. If the answer is yes, the whole procedure changes.
• Omissione di soccorso — failure to stop and assist; the offence behind what most drivers call a hit-and-run.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to fill in the CID in Italian?

No. The layout is standardised across Europe, so the numbered fields mean the same thing in every language version. Complete it in a language you actually understand and never sign a description you cannot read.

What is the difference between a verbale and a denuncia?

A <em>verbale</em> is the record made by officers who attended. A <em>denuncia</em> is a report you file yourself at a station afterwards — the usual route when nobody attended and your insurer needs an official record.

Which police force should I ask for?

Call the emergency number and describe the situation; they will dispatch whichever force is responsible. Afterwards, note which one attended — that determines where the file can later be requested.