Why Truck Drivers Keep Hitting UK Bridges

So you just measure the height, display it in the cab and you are sorted?

Well no actually. You'll notice I have talked mostly in metric so far, and if you were born in the UK in the last 45 years so will you.

But have you noticed that a lot of bridges display imperial units? pic.twitter.com/SDstHdNfkD

— Tom (@thelorryist) May 4, 2024

In the UK, an average of five bridges are hit by trucks every day. That rises to an average of eight in the winter (and the UK is much smaller than the US). The law says all trucks must have their clearance height labeled on the dashboard, and that is the responsibility of the driver. It turns out that drivers often assume too much in their measurements. And then there is a problem with two measuring systems. By law, bridge heights are labeled in imperial units! This, despite the fact that most truck drivers in the UK have always used the metric system. Yes, many signs use both units, but not all of them. And the signs can be confusing to drivers. There are more reasons, some having to do with Brexit, cargo weights, road resurfacing, poor planning, and truck equipment. Tom, @thelorryist, is a truck driver who explains all this to us in a Twitter thread which is easier to read at Thread Reader.  -via Metafilter