Transportation Minister Rob Fleming (Image credit: B.C. Government).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Wait until bus-crash causes are known before opening your mouth

Dec 28, 2022 | 4:43 AM

IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME, we’ll know what went wrong on Christmas Eve when four people were killed and scores injured in that bus crash on the Okanagan Connector.

What we know right now is that families are grieving, and investigations are underway by authorities to figure it out. So far, the only fairly certain thing is that extremely icy conditions were a factor.

In the meantime, though, there’s no shortage of amateur analysts assigning blame. People with no knowledge of what actually happened, who certainly weren’t there on the scene, and who have no first-hand information from those who were, are freely dispensing their judgments.

According to these self-styled experts, the bus was clearly travelling too fast. Supposedly, we should all know that buses always go too fast in dangerous conditions.

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Or, there must have been mechanical issues with the bus. Or, the highway was obviously being poorly maintained for the weather — there should have been more sanding.

And what to do about it? More driver training, for one. Or lower speed limits for buses. Or better maintenance by the highway contractors.

But Transportation Minister Rob Fleming yesterday said maintenance was up to standard given the conditions, which is contrary to much of the speculation immediately after the crash.

And let’s be thankful to the residents, passers-by and first responders who did such great work looking after the passengers.

But, to those who rush to judge who and what is responsible for this tragedy, all one can say is, seriously? What possible value do your unsubstantiated comments and conclusions bring to the discussion?

Informed discussion is always good, but when you speculate, without foundation, on such a traumatic event that has so sadly impacted so many lives, you do no one any good.

It will take months to complete the investigation. Couldn’t you wait until the facts are known before so freely offering your uninvited offhand conclusions about what happened?

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.