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Member Alert: Bridge Strikes
Recent media reports highlight the dangers from bridge strikes with Network Rail identifying Stuntney Road, Ely, Cambridgeshire as Britain's "most bashed" bridge with 18 incidents recorded in 2023-24.
The rail body claims the 1,532 bridge strikes reported in the year to April cost an estimated £20m in delays, cancellations and repairs and last year bridge strikes delayed train services by the equivalent of more than 100 days.
There is also the potential for bridge strikes to cause serious injury or death to drivers or other road and bridge users, so operators need to do everything in their power to prevent them from happening.
The biggest causes of bridge strikes are drivers not knowing their vehicle height, poor route planning and drivers not understanding signs. Therefore, it is essential that drivers must:
- Be trained, competent and equipped to assess their vehicle height and width and recognise when this may change.
- Know their intended route and who to contact for support should that route not be available.
- Know their bridge signs, pay attention and act on them.
Operators are liable for the results of bridge strikes and may miss out on business through the loss of vehicles and can also suffer financial penalties through increased insurance premiums or compensation claims. And while it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that an overall height cab notice is displayed before commencing every journey, it is an offence for the Transport Manager to cause or permit a vehicle to be used in breach of Construction and Use (C & U) Regulations.
Operators need to recognise their responsibilities and Health and Safety policy statements should include the management of bridge strike and training programmes should include prevention of bridge strikes.
To ensure operators stay compliant, Logistics UK offers a Driver CPC training module on Bridge Strikes and members can also download a MAC Factsheet which explores the common causes of bridge strikes and ways to manage and prevent them from happening - https://logistics.org.uk/fact-sheets/bridge-strikes
The Department for Transport also offers guidance for operators on how to prevent vehicles from hitting bridges:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevention-of-bridge-strikes-good-practice-guide
Published On: 21/11/2024 15:00:00
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