A rookie trucker found himself in a load of trouble just three days into his new job – when he got stuck under a railway bridge.
The hapless driver ignored warning signs as he blindly followed his sat nat in the centre of Swindon, Wilts.
He jammed his vehicle under Whitehouse Bridge and blocked the road for two hours, forcing other motorists to find alternative routes.
The unnamed driver managed to avoid causing any major damage to his lorry or the bridge but got a penalty notice from police.
He said: “I was following the sat nav and didn’t see the signs. There needs to be clearer signs leading up to the bridge.
“There wasn’t much of an impact because I wasn’t going fast but I went under just enough to get the reflector stuck”
The incident is not the first time lorries have got stuck under the bridge which is becoming infamous for catching drivers who simply follow sat navs.
A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: “There are ordinary warning signs on the approach and there are flashing vehicle-activated warning signs.
“Then there is the bridge itself, which apart from looking extremely low is painted yellow, and has a band of reflective chevrons attached.
“There is also a sign on the side showing its height, accompanied by the words ‘Low Bridge’ in huge letters. We’re struggling to think of anything else we can realistically do.”
Just Vans South West Ltd, who own the truck, refused to comment on the debacle.
I think the general view is how do you not see the big yellow bridge?
Well anyone that has sat behind the wheel of a truck will appreciate that there is often a dashboard above the windscreen. If you are a tall person this makes it nearly impossible to see anything above the height of your eyes without sticking your face up to the windscreen, (which is dangerous).
Knowing the scene of this accident and looking at it from a truck point of view, the most obvious, cheap and simple solution possibly, is to paint a warning on ‘THE ROAD!’ Where a driver is or should actually be looking. Not what is effectively the sky, and out of view.
With a run up to a bridge there is less of a problem, but immediately after a blind corner and on a roundabout junction with pedestrians crossing and cars trying to ‘beat’ the lorry into the corner, makes it quite a problem.
For the sake of a pot of paint what harm can it do to give it a try? Often the simplest things are the best solution.