How do you "cause" traffic?

[oldfella1962]

What am I missing here? I totally get that a wreck can "pause" the normal flow of traffic, or even "cause" traffic congestion.
But this headline - as written - doesn't make sense and just sounds "off" to me. Any thoughts?

I-20 accident causes 6 exits of traffic, unknown injuries

A vehicle accident on I-20, caused traffic for six exits, with unknown injuries. North Augusta Public Safety confirms the accident happened on Sunday, under the Exit 1 bridge.

www.wrdw.com

 

[Toliver]

"Traffic" has become a collective noun that tends to be used as a stand alone in a sentence. Kinda like when people say an SUV committed a hit and run. No, the driver of the SUV did. I'm not sure if it's a southern thing or lazy grammar or what but it seems to have become a regular part of speech.

 

[WOODIE13]

They don't like their jam...

And never drove on 95 @ DC...I mean only 6 exits of traffic

 

[tr21]

here it doesn't take a wreck to cause a traffic jam. all it takes is a exit or entrance ramp and you have a complete shut down !

 

[JustUs4All]

Headline writers and editors aren't what they used to be.

 

[pjciii]

What am I missing here? I totally get that a wreck can "pause" the normal flow of traffic, or even "cause" traffic congestion.
But this headline - as written - doesn't make sense and just sounds "off" to me. Any thoughts?

I-20 accident causes 6 exits of traffic, unknown injuries

A vehicle accident on I-20, caused traffic for six exits, with unknown injuries. North Augusta Public Safety confirms the accident happened on Sunday, under the Exit 1 bridge.

www.wrdw.com

They should take the license of any rubberneckers at an accident scene. Especially on the opposite side of road or highway.

Most Everybody wants to see something morbid.

 

[sinclair1]

I watched a training video about California traffic for a distribution solution on conveyor belts. It was crazy to see just someone hitting the brakes caused a chain reaction where 5 miles back the traffic stopped.

 

[Toliver]

They should take the license of any rubberneckers at an accident scene. Especially on the opposite side of road or highway.

Most Everybody wants to see something morbid.

And film it. Gotta get them likes and subscribes don't you know!

 

[elfiii]

The wreck caused the "traffic" because if you accused the guilty parties (humans behind the wheel) rather than an inanimate object or event, that might be racist or misogynist or white supremacist or something like that and it's not allowed in either print or electronic media.

I hope this helps.

 

[elfiii]

I watched a training video about California traffic for a distribution solution on conveyor belts. It was crazy to see just someone hitting the brakes caused a chain reaction where 5 miles back the traffic stopped.

That's why the Downtown Connector in the ATL is really an automobile slinky.

 

[Oldstick]

Yep rubberneckers and such. It doesn't take but a few to cause a big backup with heavy traffic.

I recall traveling south on I-75 on the Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving to Orlando for work related reasons. It was many years ago, 1987, and all south of the Macon area. Nowhere near the ATL area. Heavy traffic being the close of Thanksgiving plus the official start of the snowbird migration south to FL for the winter.

Several times between here and the FL line the traffic backed up and slowed to a crawl. Never actually stopping. Then several miles later there would be no wreck. Just a single car pulled off on the side with a flat tire or something. A few brake lights plus rubbernecking had caused several miles of backup behind.

 

[turkeykirk]

Was in Denver years ago. During rush hour there was a wrecker stationed about every other exit. I asked one guy why. Said they were there to clear accidents quickly to keep the traffic flowing. Sounded like a good idea to me.

 

[oldfella1962]

here it doesn't take a wreck to cause a traffic jam. all it takes is a exit or entrance ramp and you have a complete shut down !

I totally get it. Where I live it's the same deal. I'm saying that the headline was phrased wrong.

 

[4HAND]

The wreck caused the "traffic" because if you accused the guilty parties (humans behind the wheel) rather than an inanimate object or event, that might be racist or misogynist or white supremacist or something like that and it's not allowed in either print or electronic media.

I hope this helps.

Vehicle violence.