THE PROBLEM OF BRIDGE STRIKES

Cases of high-sided road vehicles striking low bridges are common throughout the industrialised world. It is both an expensive and a potentially very dangerous problem. The repercussions of a strike include: damage to the vehicle, injury to the driver, damage to the bridge and road delays while the accident is cleared. Perhaps the most serious consequence, however, occurs when the low bridge over the road carries a railway line - damage to the bridge following a major strike can disrupt the track enough to cause a train passing over the line to derail. An incident of this kind occurred in Ireland in 1975 and resulted in significant loss of life. The UK has been one of the countries worst hit by this problem, this article will inspect in more detail the history of bridge strikes and the measures undertaken by the UK Department of Transport (DoT) and railway authorities to reduce and mitigate their occurrence. (A)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/09594302
• Corporate Authors:

  INSTITUTE OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS (ITAI)

  26 STANDISH DRIVE
  RAINFORD, ST HELENS, MERSEYSIDE  United Kingdom  WA11 8JY
• Authors:
  • Horberry, T J
  • Halliday, M
  • Gale, A G
• Publication Date: 1998

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 31-2
• Serial:
  • IMPACT
  • Volume: 7
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: INSTITUTE OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS (ITAI)
  • ISSN: 0959-4302

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Crashes; Hazards; Loss and damage; Trucks
• ITRD Terms: 3455: Bridge; 1631: Collision; 1614: Damage; 1236: Lorry; 9150: Risk
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Motor Carriers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00792955
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: May 31 2000 12:00AM