A bridge strike is an incident in which a vehicle, its load or equipment collides with a bridge. Most incidents occur where roads pass under railway bridges, although it is not unknown for bridge strikes to also occur at bridges over public roads carrying footpaths or other roads.

In recent years the number of bridge strikes reported to Network Rail has shown a steady increase. Since 1996 the number of bridge strikes has almost doubled to exceed 2,000 per year - approximately five each day.

A heavy or light goods vehicle or construction plant was involved in 88 per cent of these bridge strikes.

The consequences of a bridge strike to the railway may vary from paint scrapes on the bridge to the bridge and track being moved sideways by the collision with the risk of an oncoming train being derailed. Bridge strikes also cause significant disruption and delay to users of the railways.

Bridge strikes cause substantial costs, disruption, damage and delay to the freight industry. They have resulted in drivers being killed or seriously injured. In some instances another road user or a member of the public has been fatally injured. All bridge strikes cause damage to the bridge and the road vehicle. Although there may be road signs giving warning of the limit on vehicle height at a low bridge, some bridges are particularly prone to bridge strikes with Whitehouse Road, Swindon and Southend Lane (A2218), Lower Sydenham, each being struck 127 times since 1996.

The majority of bridge strikes (78 per cent) occur between 8am and 6pm with nearly 20 per cent occurring between midday and 2pm.

The causes of bridge strikes recorded by Network Rail include:

• Arch - lorry not in the centre of the road - 11%
• Lifting arm left in raised position - 26%
• Driver did not know the height of his vehicle - 32%

To raise the awareness of the risk and consequences of bridge strikes, and to provide guidance to prevent bridge strikes occurring, Network Rail, in conjunction with the freight and construction plant transport industry, have produced two Good Practice Guides for use by transport managers and professional drivers. The guide for professional drivers has been designed to be inserted in the driver’s passport, whilst for freight transport managers an A5 booklet has been produced. The guide for freight transport managers provides advice on legal requirements affecting bridge strikes. Every bridge strike is a road traffic collision, and failure to report a bridge strike is an offence.

Advice is also given regarding Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations. For vehicles having an overall travelling height of 3m or above, a notice is required to be displayed in the cab showing the maximum height of the vehicle. For vehicles with high-level equipment capable of exceeding 3m, a visual warning device to inform the driver when the equipment has been left in the extended position is required to be fitted.

Both guides give advice as to the possible consequences of a bridge strike and show that bridge strikes are potentially dangerous and expensive to both vehicle operators and the professional driver.

Bridge strikes are dangerous because the lorry driver may be killed or seriously injured, or an incident may cause the death of another driver or member of the public. In all cases of railway bridge strikes the safety of trains is put at risk. The risk to the professional driver and other road users is the greatest at bridges that cross the road at an angle. At such bridges when the vehicle is travelling at speed, the top of the vehicle is deflected sideways causing the vehicle to overturn.

Network Rail will seek to recover costs of each bridge strike incident including:

• The examination of the bridge
• The cost of any repairs

Bridge strike incidents could be expensive to freight or construction plant transport operators as other direct costs for which they may be liable include:

• Vehicle recovery
• Damage to the vehicle and any damage caused to the load
• Replacement of damaged road signs

A professional driver may also suffer serious economic loss, with loss of earnings, overtime or reduced sick pay as a consequence of the bridge strike. In all cases there is a risk that the professional driver and the company may be liable to prosecution for serious road traffic offences. A company’s good repute may be jeopardised.

The Good Practice Guide for Freight Transport Managers gives advice on the action to be taken prior to a journey to ensure routes are planned in advance and the risk of bridge strikes based on the height and width of the vehicle, its load or equipment is considered in the selection of the route. Advice is given as to sources of information on bridge locations and limits on vehicle heights.

Before a driver starts a journey, the travelling height of the vehicle is required to be measured. It should not be forgotten that the height of both the tractor and the trailer is required to be checked - they may be different. The correct measured height is to be displayed in the cab. The height should be checked again after unloading or reloading as the trailer suspension characteristics could increase the height of an unloaded vehicle. A route and vehicle check pro-forma is provided in the Guide to record route planning and height checks that are carried out prior to the start of a journey.

When a bridge strike is reported, generally Network Rail stops train movements over the bridge until the affected bridge has been examined to determine the extent of any damage. In the majority of incidents the damage is not serious, and therefore after the examination, trains are permitted to pass over the bridge. In a small percentage of incidents serious damage is caused which necessitates repair to the bridge structure before trains may be permitted to cross the bridge. One of the main causes of serious damage to bridges is a lifting arm or other piece of equipment not made secure.

The Good Practice Guide for Transport Managers provides advice on management of this risk. Reference is made to the guidance in the Department for Transport Code of Practice Safety of Loads on Vehicles. Security of load is one of the checks included in the route and vehicle check pro-forma.

The Guide for Professional Drivers provides detailed guidance on how to avoid bridge strikes whilst en route. In drafting the guide it was recognised that bridge strikes may be caused by foreign drivers being confused by imperial and metric road signs. Advice as to the meaning of roads signs is provided, and a conversion chart for imperial to metric is included on the rear cover of both guides. Advice is given on the signing that may be found at bridges. For arch bridges, a reminder is included that the extent of the signed limit on vehicle height is only available between the white lines on the road and ‘goal posts’ on the bridge.

By raising the awareness of the risk and consequences of bridge strikes through publication of these guides, it is intended that a significant number of bridge strikes will be prevented, and that the effects of bridge strikes to both Network Rail and the freight and construction plant transport industry will be reduced.

The guides will be available direct from the participating organisations:

• Road Haulage Association
• Freight Transport Association
• Construction Plant-hire Association
• Heavy Transport Association
• Transport & General Workers Union
• Recruitment and Employment Federation
• National Farmers Union

Both documents are supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.