[zulutango]

I think what you have here is the TC reporter saying that the Saanich PD said congestion caused the crash....that's a lot different from the Saanich PD saying congestion caused the crash. As a former media relations officer for the RCMP, and a former media type, I know the difference. Because of any number of reasons, some reporters "interpret" the situations based on their agenda/bias/lack of knowledge/desire for sensational stories/or interpretation of the events.

Saying congestion caused the crash is like saying bad weather/ slippery roads/poor visibility caused the crash...when it was the driver who lost control when they drove too fast for conditions. None of my releases ever blamed the weather or road itself for causing a crash...it's the driver who was not up to handling the existing conditions who was the cause.

Sometimes the person who is doing the media release does not have all the facts or lacks traffic investigational training or experience and that also results in what is released. In this case there are only a couple of lines telling what happened. Unless you have direct knowledge you can't say that following too close caused the crash. What if the driver was "distracted' by her cell phone or other device (that would be driving without due care, not following too close), what if there was a mechanical failure in her vehicle, what if the brake lights were not functioning in the car ahead of her, what if somebody did a sudden lane change without signaling, what if there was a medical concern ? What if, what if what if............................... I agree that it is very likely that the description of the causal factors of this crash are not accurate. For what reason...we would have to see the complete crash report to answer that. Speculate all you want but it's just that, speculation.