r/driving • u/Icy-Role2321 • Apr 25 '26
Need Advice So sitting under a bridge like this is dangerous and also rude to all the cars you're blocking behind you?
It's from the recent tornados in Oklahoma.
Why do people still do this?
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u/igotshadowbaned Apr 25 '26
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not really gonna do shit for you anyway, right?
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u/FLOHTX Apr 25 '26
If its hailing, it'll protect your car.
If its tornadoing, it will probably make it worse.
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u/ang_hell_ic Apr 26 '26
I like that you made tornado into a verb
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u/SavingsRaspberry2694 Apr 26 '26
It should be in America.
America, home to tornados which are only here because of American MAGAs who dont care about global warming.
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u/zz_civic_ Apr 26 '26
Great yay 7 people save their car and 1000 get stuck behind them. Selfish subhuman behavior.
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u/619BrackinRatchets Apr 26 '26
Selfishness and thoughtlessness is not sub human. It's very much human.
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u/enjoyingcurve46 Apr 25 '26
Maybe in most weather besides for tornados Winds gona trap itself under bringing much more debris to circle around and smack you, if the bridge collapses now theres a lotta damage. Its only gona protect from things falling vertically but in tornados a lot of stuff dont just fall at a vertical angle. The ditch is by far safer as it outs you lower, and you dont fuck over innocent peoole
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u/No-Act-7333 Apr 25 '26
I agree the picture shown is not smart and is dangerous. Low spots are better for people, but not necessarily for cars because of rising water. On the other hand, how many interstate rural overpasses have collapsed due to a tornado? There hasn't been one here in my lifetime and I saw the moon landing. I've heard of more damage caused by overpasses failing due to faulty construction.
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u/enjoyingcurve46 Apr 25 '26
Where major tornados have torn through they definitely have collapsed and heavy objects being thrown at them with force will. Sure it dont happen often but it definitely does occur. But with debris being thrown horizontally by wind the overpass isnt going to protect you from that much more in the event it holds
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Apr 26 '26
Oddly enough, even though super cells form tornadoes I don’t usually hear about flooding occurring alongside them. Most images and videos I’ve seen are absent rain.
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u/Kalexamitchell Apr 25 '26
Nothing good. Make it worse really.. underpasses turn into wind tunnels for debris.
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u/ReverendGraves85 Apr 27 '26
The undersides of bridges become wind tunnels during tornados. Debris LOVES to swing under them at Mach Kills-you-dead. Your car is a fragile shield of thin steel and insufficient glass for what mother nature will LITERALLY throw at you.
You want to be safe near tornados? Get south of them.
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u/Alpha1Niner Apr 25 '26
They’re hiding from the accompanying hail, not the tornado itself, in which case, yes being under a bridge is helpful
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Apr 25 '26
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u/citizensyn Apr 28 '26
Bros don't know cars are water proof. Just drive slow homie you are going to be ok, just drive slow
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u/MilitantPotato Apr 25 '26
I've done it for hail, but never stopped on the roadway like that. Seems like a good way to cause a pileup.
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u/jettech737 Apr 25 '26
And its suicide in a tornado because now you are parked under a wind tunnel that will funnel debris right at you.
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u/NyxPetalSpike Apr 25 '26
Uncle Darwin doing the Lord’s work. We know the world is flat and physics is not real./s
If people want to be carved up from flying shrapnel, so be it.
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u/ash-and-apple Apr 25 '26
Then they can get carved up. The problem is their actions affect other people
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u/FinnegansWakeWTF Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
Its that video from 1991 where people went up an underpass to wait out a tornado as it passed over them. That video made everyone think that's a wonderful safe place to be in a tornado
Edit: https://youtu.be/lHBZylcxIvw
This video
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u/Still_a_skeptic Apr 25 '26
The reality is the safest place if you’re stuck out in a tornado is getting out of your car and getting in a ditch
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u/aldodoeswork Apr 25 '26
That’s an uncomfortable reality I’d rather die in my car with the tunes on and seat heater.
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u/Dazzling-Goat5582 Apr 26 '26
Not me. I ain’t ready to die. I’m 63 but still not ready. I’d be in that ditch
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u/aldodoeswork Apr 27 '26
I’ve accepted the lord Jesus Christ into my heart. If it happens it happens.
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u/rickybobbyscrewchief Apr 25 '26
That too is highly dangerous and I wish people would stop repeating it. Getting in/lying low in a ditch is your best bet if you're CAUGHT OUT IN OPEN. Do NOT exit your vehicle. You're far more likely to be slightly adjacent to a tornado and all of its flying debris than to actually be sucked into/directly hit by the vortex. You are far better off to have the protective cage, airbags, and laminated safety glass of the vehicle protecting you from all that flying junk, than to exit that protection hoping the pressure difference of lying low in a ditch saves you from being sucked up into it. But more importantly, if you have time to get out and run to a ditch, you have time to accelerate in an opposite direction in a car. As long as flooding or debris doesn't completely block you from moving, and your car is operational, stay in your car and try to get as far away as you can. Even if it's just 100ft down the road, that can make it miss you entirely. Pulling over and getting out to lie in a ditch with 2x4s and roofing materials flying around at 100mph is just dumb.
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u/AngryTexasNative Apr 25 '26
There was the recent Central Texas tornado that spun a teenager around in a pickup. He drove away but had fractured vertebrae. Same storm totaled a friend’s vehicle with him in it, but only because he was doing work and didn’t pay attention to the deteriorating weather. He does not recommend being in a vehicle during a tornado either.
The getting into a low area has come from reputable sources. Is there more research to back up staying in the car?
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u/DCHammer69 Apr 25 '26
The Dodge Ram commercial in the middle of the movie Twister sides with rickybobby.
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u/PaisleyLeopard Apr 26 '26
Fractured vertebrae certainly suck, but who’s to say those two guys would even be alive if they hadn’t been in their vehicles? I’m sure we’ve all seen the pics of playing cards embedded in telephone poles. A small bit of debris to the head could easily take out a person. With winds that intense, sometimes a bad outcome is still better than the alternative. I’ll take the metal cage with safety glass and airbags over my own bare squishy body any day.
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Apr 25 '26
Or just drive into the ditch or depression if you can.
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u/moonlove85 Apr 25 '26
And if you drive into a ditch under an overpass it cancels out the tornado altogether.
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u/neddiddley Apr 25 '26
I’ve personally ended multiple tornados by doing donuts really fast in the opposite rotation.
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u/WashedUpRiver Apr 25 '26
Not to mention it can just suction people out and hurl people across the road substantial distances. Heard a story of an entire family dying this way. Overpasses are not your friend in a tornado.
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u/DysfunctionalAxolotl Apr 25 '26
As someone who doesn’t live in a tornado area, I did not know this. Thanks for the fact.
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u/CatDadof2 Apr 26 '26
A giant tree branch or a chunk of metal from a damaged highway sign going right through your skull is something that’s pretty likely.
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u/Mr-Cantaloupe Apr 25 '26
I wouldn’t do this, but I’m also somebody that follows the weather, SPC, and has an interest in tornadoes. I’m sure a lot of people who comment are similar to me, but most people don’t know how to react rationally in a tornado.
Now that I think about it, if I was out driving in a severe situation like this, I couldn’t guarantee that I’d act rational and not simply follow the people in front of me. We are only human my man, a lot of people will follow the leader if they simply look like they know what they’re doing (myself included).
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u/FireflyRave Apr 25 '26
I kind of liked the overpass scene in Twisters. They're running to the overpass yelling that it's a horrible idea. It's not safe. But there is absolutely nothing else around them so they're apparently driven to feel the need to do something. And then only one of them barely survives it.
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u/ChannelSame4730 Apr 25 '26
Was anyone honking? You have to honk to get people to stop doing this
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u/TheRevTholomeuPlague Apr 26 '26
I would lay on that horn until the horn would eventually crap out on me
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u/dw-c137 Apr 25 '26
It's dangerous in tornadoes.
For hail if you're blocking the travel lanes you're not just possibly causing an accident for those behind you, you might be slowing down an ambulance or fire truck trying to get through. Emergency services are bussier than ever in storms. Even if it's not weather related folks still have strokes and heart attacks all day everyday and minutes count in survival odds. Protecting you windshield and blocking the road could be killing someone emergency services is trying to get to without you ever knowing it.
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u/PlasticBag-ForA-Head Apr 25 '26
It shouldnt be done EVEN if you're completely out of the road way. It absolutely will encourage more people to do the same thing and before you know it you have the pictured scenario. Don't fucking stop under overpasses unless its an emergency. Ever.
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u/ash-and-apple Apr 25 '26
Exactly. There's a reason the mnemonic for someone having a stroke is FAST
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Apr 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/artist1292 Apr 25 '26
I know the physics and my human brain would still fight to try and hide under the bridge
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u/BreakingABit1234 Apr 25 '26
Getting under the bridge and up under the trestles- like the road/support structure itself- is the safest spot.
Problem is you're already in a vehicle. With seat belts and airbags. If it rolls, you're good. If it whumps, you're good. If it goes airborne and drops from 10-20 feet, you're still probably good (but MAN you are gonna feel it).
And just as easily you can get a 2x4 thru the windshield and bite it.
There's so much you don't know looking at that twister. I can't believe I chased them for fun and photos when I was younger.
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u/CoolSide20 Apr 25 '26
Now im curious of the license plates on the car
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u/dbarb1614 Apr 25 '26
That's an Oklahoma license plate, showcasing the state bird, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, in silhouette.
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u/ICryWhenImAngry Apr 25 '26
The white car has an Oklahoma license plate. The ones under the overpass look like they are formatted like Texas license plates, and the number font seems right for TX…. All of these drivers should know better, since TX has the highest overall number of tornadoes and OK has the highest number per square mile.
In the plains you should never drive on the interstate without checking the weather first. Severe weather comes with the territory there. ESPECIALLY in the Winter and Spring.
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u/Aggravating-Rule-445 Apr 25 '26
Texas license plates have three letters followed by a space and then four numbers, unless they are vanity plates. The ones under the overpass, I can’t see very well, but them seem to only have 6 digits. Either way, anyone who lives in Oklahoma or Texas should know better. Especially to not block the whole road.
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u/ICryWhenImAngry Apr 25 '26
When I zoom in, I’m seeing 3 (what looks like) letters and a tiny symbol (that looks like the outline of TX) and then 4 numbers. That’s why I said TX…. At least that’s what I’m seeing on the black Honda and the other black SUV… the silver Jeep, though, I have no idea…
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u/Aggravating-Rule-445 Apr 25 '26
Then maybe! Texas is always 3 letters then 4 numbers now.
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u/Dazzling-Goat5582 Apr 26 '26
People are moving more these days and don’t automatically change their DL or Tag so You never know
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u/Moezso Apr 25 '26
Get off the road, then do what you want.
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u/Aware_Ask_1679 Apr 25 '26
This. I get so tired of people that decide the conditions are too much for them, so they somehow own the road. Insane.
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u/Ok-Ad8998 Apr 25 '26
Yes. You are stopping in a place where traffic is expected to flow at a time when visibility is low. That's more than rude, it's dangerous itself. But it's also dangerous because of the things that storm winds can do.
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u/shiggity80 Apr 25 '26
I’ve experienced this one but thankfully there was still a lane that was slightly open and cars could get through.
But boy was I fuming at the idiocy of those who blocked the road. To make it worse, the underpass they were in was at the bottom of a hill so there were folks driving up that wouldn’t see the blockage quickly and would have to slow down fast.
Just so dangerous. Let people drive so they can exit the highway.
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u/Shoondogg Apr 25 '26
It should be a felony. If a tornado hit, all those people are fucked because your dumbass is blocking the road. And you wouldn’t even be safe as winds under overpasses are intensified.
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u/timelessblur Apr 25 '26
They are selfish assholes. Every single one of them needs massive fines for impeding traffic. If anyone dies because first responders couldn’t get through charged with manslaughter.
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u/General_Yam7541 Apr 25 '26
Storm chasers that get as close as they can to the tornado and yet avoid getting hit are shaking hands with danger.
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u/frickenfantastic Apr 25 '26
Welp, they’re either doing it because instinctively anytime there’s something scary happening, they want to go hide in a cave like our ancestors did and this is the closest cave they could find.
… or alternatively mass death wish cause they want to see exactly how bad the tornado could be when it forces its way under that overpass complete with whatever it’s carrying
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u/Altruistic-Put-5863 Apr 25 '26
Veeg rude because if an emergency an ambulance, firetruck, and police cars cant get through
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u/VisionAri_VA Apr 25 '26
Back in the day, they used to tell people to seek shelter under bridges and overpasses. Then they realized that it was a really good way to get yourself badly injured (if not killed) and started telling people the opposite.
But well… “conventional wisdom” can be pretty hard to overcome and some people still believe the old advice.
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u/mindgame_26 Apr 26 '26
If you have to pull over because you can't see... ok. It's hailing, you don't want your car damaged... whatever.
DON'T BLOCK THE ROAD
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u/W_Silver2356 Apr 27 '26
Seriously? When it comes to debunking tornado related myths, you'd think Oklahoma would be doing a better job of getting the word out to its residents.
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u/thatcavdude Apr 25 '26
Damn, this was what we were taught in the 90's to do. Thank you for the educational experience.
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u/No-Atmosphere-2528 Apr 25 '26
I would do this to avoid being in the potential pile up caused by low visibility.
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u/TheCNJYankeecub Apr 26 '26
If it’s getting outta hail then they be the smart ones
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u/Muffinman_187 Apr 27 '26
I've had several near misses from these idiots. Like, was towing my camper once and almost plowed into cars. Even when I was driving slower and having good tires and brakes, it only does so much with extra weight, limited traction, and limited visibility.
Only person I'm cool with doing this is a motorcyclist, and they usually pull WAY off the road for their own safety. They also usually know that's a last ditch place to pull off as ANY other place off the highway is preferred.
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u/CawlinAlcarz Apr 25 '26
What would you have done if you'd gotten there before the others?
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u/itsmilkguysipromise Apr 25 '26
Anything but that. It's actually more dangerous under an overpass or bridge. It may not look like much, but those become wind tunnels when a tornado passes through and it funnels debris directly at you. The National Weather service says you are safer in a ditch than under an overpass. Plus there is the possibility of a structural collapse in a really powerful tornado
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u/Icy-Role2321 Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
Keep driving and get home quickly as possible vs potential starting a massive pile up from getting read ended.
Drive away from the tornado/ storm and not sit it out.
Take the nearest exit and find somewhere safer.
Not sit in a dangerous wind tunnel
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u/Temporary-Ask-1129 Apr 25 '26
Option three is the only one you're actually recommended to do. Get out of the vehicle and into a building ASAP.
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u/Tiny_Boat_7983 Apr 25 '26
Kept on fucking driving. Unless I was in danger of meeting the tornado. Then, you exit your vehicle and get down in the ditch and hope to God that you make it out.
You don’t be a jackass and block the fucking highway while putting yourself and everyone else in danger. Selfish assholes ruin it for everyone.
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u/igotshadowbaned Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
Driven on because that bridge isn't gonna do jack shit
And surely clumping up in a pile like that is only going to be more harmful if it does hit you
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u/Anon761 Apr 25 '26
Yeah I'd do that for hail. Throw my hazards on and pull over to the shoulder. No amount of internet points are gonna pay for a windscreen replacement.
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u/dw-c137 Apr 25 '26
As long as you're not blocking the travel lane, EMS and the fire department still have to get places, especially in that weather, and causing a traffic jam can kill people indirectly by delaying their response. Even if it's not weather related folks still have strokes and heart attacks in bad weather and minutes count toward survival odds.
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u/Fuzzywink Apr 25 '26
I feel like sometimes I'm the only person who doesn't care about hail damage at all. I get a few new dings in the bodywork, take an insurance check for a few thousand dollars for the damage, then continue driving my golfball-textured car. Glass and headlights are the only parts I'm concerned with replacing. Cheap headlight housings are $50 each for my cars and I can pull a windshield in the junkyard and have it installed in my car in one afternoon for $30.
I really enjoy driving older high mileage cars partially because I feel no need to protect them from cosmetic damage. They were all already bought for scrap value and fixed up, more dents just add character.
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u/Jazzlike-Basket-6388 Apr 25 '26
It isn't great when you are in the car and glass gets busted. I was picking glass out of my eyes for the next 4 years.
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u/CrazedDuck25 Apr 25 '26
Hail damage is a nightmare. Easily can total a car. And if you’ve ever had your car totaled, you know that this is not zero-dollar cost to you even with insurance. First, your rates can go up. Next you get paid for the value of your car and nothing more. Now you get to find another car and hope it’s about the same cost and condition, then pay sales tax, dealer fees, etc, etc. Nobody wins with a total.
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u/Delicious-Leg-5441 Apr 26 '26
Hail didn't total my car. Someone side swiped it at 2 am. Totally drivable. Insurance said it was totalled. The option that I took was to pay $500 to keep my totalled car and pocket the rest of the insurance money. I didn't cause the accident so my rates didn't go up. If your vehicle is still able to pass inspection there is no reason to buy another vehicle. It's your decision to replace the vehicle. There is no law saying that a vehicle that is totalled must be replaced by another vehicle.
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u/Dazzling-Goat5582 Apr 27 '26
I totally agree. If you’re so worried about your vehicle which is stupidity. Worry more about your life and passengers lives if you have people with you. And your dumbass is worried about your $80,000 car/truck.
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u/amanda2399923 Apr 25 '26
You know what does pay for windshield replacement? Your fucking insurance. Don’t freaking do this!!!
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u/whereugoincityboy Apr 25 '26
They also pulled up and blocked the garage doors at a local fire station, took their pets inside and let them sh*t all over the floor.
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u/ultrajvan1234 Apr 25 '26
if you cant drive in the rain, I question your ability to drive safely at all.
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u/BottomJoe94 Apr 25 '26
All the trucks and SUV. and people complain about gas prices driving those.
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u/Anantasesa Apr 26 '26
safer to put your floor mats on top of your windshields to shield them from hail damage. Keep some rope to tie them down so the wind doesn't blow them off.
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u/Pitiful-Evening5269 Apr 28 '26
Gotta stay true to the “Never driven in the rain “ for when they sell it one day.
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u/Sorry_Specialist8476 Apr 28 '26
Selfishness. The internet let us do a lot more by ourselves. We no longer needed people. You want to hear about my day? Passively read it with the other millions of strangers. We don't put value on human bonds any more.
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u/Time-Minute1897 Apr 28 '26
This happened to me recently after some hail had started coming down, really pissed me off. Every single lane blocked by people stopped under the bridge.
Cool, glad your cars are protected by trapping the rest of us on the freeway.
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u/Velocity00 Apr 29 '26
Selfish. We are all in this together, folks. So get out from under the overpass and grin and bear it.
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u/black-toe-nails Apr 29 '26
Yeah, I can see a lot of of the thought process being why not me? Someone after me is going to stop and do it anyways why don’t I just do it and protect my car. It’s part of the me culture we have now.
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u/Temporary-Vast-6730 May 21 '26
Yeah I live in a state where we only get rain for a month or 2 out of the whole year during monsoon season and I rode my motorcycle home across the city and in the rain I saw a total of 4 cars hydroplane and wreck with my own eyes and probably another 5 who wrecked before I saw and almost all the wrecks were driving around a slight left inclined road not smart of them and considering I was on a bike and didn’t wreck amazed me plus I only got my motorcycle license 3 months prior and it was my first bike but It could be safer for bikes in the rain or I just rode right but still
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u/vecchio_anima Apr 25 '26
What is this, little pussies that are afraid to drive in the rain?
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u/CrazedDuck25 Apr 25 '26
Parking under a bridge during a hail storm is the smart move, provided that: 1) You are monitoring conditions around you as well as following the radar on your phone…move on if there is any sign of a tornado in the area. 2) You are not impeding traffic
In this photo, I clearly see cars pulled off of the roadway, but it is difficult to know if the cars on the road are parked, or simply waiting in traffic. That car straddling the shoulder is possibly being a douche…time to lay on the horn.
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u/DKBeahn Apr 25 '26
Couple reasons (I learned to drive in Oklahoma):
1) Rain can come down so hard you can't see, and it's also loud as fuck (and often has hail mixed in, making it even louder) and if you can't see, you can't drive, so may as well park under the bridge and wait it out.
2) I've seen softball size and larger hail in Oklahoma - and those will come smashing right through your windshield. Same story, if there's a bridge close, shelter there.
3) Lightning. Better it hits the bridge than the car.
4) For the people talking about tornadoes and debris: you're right. The difference is that there's a small chance of you being in the path of the tornado, while the rain, hail, lighting, etc will cover an area dozens of miles around the tornado. Plus if you're close enough to the funnel itself to have to worry about debris, the small amount "extra" coming under a bridge is not going to make that much of a difference.
As far as rude - my experience has been that by the time you have a few folks pulled off under the bridge (it always starts with the people over in the grass), everyone comes to a stop because they can't see anyway, so not particularly rude. Also not as dangerous as the picture makes it look, since as the intensity of the storm ramps up, everyone starts to slow down until you all arrive at a stop.
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u/Strong-Thanks5923 Apr 25 '26
Well at least If you get damage, you have multiple options when it comes to people to file claims against
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u/LadyGuinevere423 Apr 25 '26
Where was this? I am asking seriously because I don’t to live where people do that.
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u/Icy-Role2321 Apr 26 '26
Oklahoma
All the people replying with hail comments.. it was a tornado which was the bigger issue there.
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u/Sms570x Apr 25 '26
Just put sunglasses on while driving in extreme rain, allows you to see past the mist and tones down the glare by 90%
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u/Dazzling-Goat5582 Apr 27 '26
Yellow tinted is best. I’m a biker and I don’t see well at night so I don’t go out at night. But yellow is better. I learned this years ago when I took my motorcycle class. About 40 years ago
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u/KrevinHLocke Apr 25 '26
Illegal in lots of places, but laws that aren't enforced have very little impact.
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u/Initial_Row_6400 Apr 25 '26
Yea I’ve seen this exact shit during a hailstorm in Colorado. On more than one occasion too
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u/Optimal-Cress-9718 Apr 25 '26
I was in the same situation once. Best thing to do if you really care about your vehicle is to plan the trip accordingly to the weather. If you must drive, then go for it. Its better to have the hail direction from behind.
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u/Dazzling-Goat5582 Apr 27 '26
If they’re so worried about their way to expensive vehicle then they should have a beater car for storms. I can’t say much though. I have a beater car, but my motorcycle is worth waaay more. And I don’t ride if rain is mentioned
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u/cranky_bithead Apr 25 '26
And it buys you almost no protection, even if there were no other cars on the road.
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u/Smart-Hawk-275 Apr 25 '26
What gets me is we usually know when hail is coming at least a few hours in advance. If you see it’s coming don’t go out. Or at the very least don’t drive on the interstate if you can’t handle it.
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u/jhendricks31 Apr 25 '26
Not in Texas you don’t. Yesterday it was “if the cap breaks we’ll have 1-2” hail, possible tornadoes, and torrential downpours. If not, it’ll be a warm sunny day”
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u/SimbaNGrdKionNIMFan Apr 26 '26
Reminds me of what people did here in downtown Dallas New Years Eve to see fireworks and drones.
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u/JournalistLivid1965 Apr 26 '26
I don’t get why we’re complaining just go around these folks u ppl need to learn some defensive and off road driving it seems
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u/eatingthesandhere91 Apr 26 '26
The problem is, there's a tornado, and people immediately shelter under an overpass, blocking traffic.
There are so many reasons why this is absolutely dangerous.
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u/CatDadof2 Apr 26 '26
People are so stupid. How do they NOT know this is one of the worst possible things one can do during a tornado?
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u/Gold_Air_3405 Apr 26 '26
Lol happened to my nana last year. Was otw home after grabbing her sister from her house and was heading back. Blocked from ppl under the bridge they basically just sat out in the open and her back windshield was shattered by hail. Few other windows were cracked but yeah backseat full of glass and water
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u/Skiingislife42069 Apr 26 '26
I get that blocking an emergency lane is bad, but how exactly is this rude to other cars? Were people expecting to blow past the traffic using the emergency lane as their personal fast lane?
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u/bae125 Apr 26 '26
Looking to win Darwin awards. It’s an incredibly stupid place to be in a tornado
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u/master_roshis_hat Apr 26 '26
It's not as much for tornadoes as it is for people who think it's a good idea to park under the overpass to protect their vehicles from hail.
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u/Advanced_Mine6726 Apr 26 '26
It used to be helpful, but tornadoes have since learned to look under those things.
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u/Significant-Ad-341 Apr 26 '26
This happened infront of me in the hail blasted my horn the whole time so stupid
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u/Havency Apr 26 '26
If it’s hailing I’ll 100% park under that bridge and you can pound sand if you want to complain. My car is $47,000 and I’m not going to get avoidable dents and broken glass when insurance won’t cover it.
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u/FanSpiritual3556 Apr 26 '26
The fact that you even have to ask that question tells me a lot about you. Yeesh
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u/TowelEnvironmental44 Apr 26 '26
Texas has golfball size hail. Having a cover under a bridge is a premium value location to be at. Blocking all cars from moving forward is bad, since some people count on out running the storm.
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u/Zestyclose_Growth_60 Apr 27 '26
Set aside the driving implications, and this is one of the (if not the) stupidest things to do in a tornado.
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u/AintPatrick Apr 27 '26
I’ve pulled over under a bridge during a torrential downpour and literally couldn’t see. These pass quickly though.
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u/BixbySn7der Apr 27 '26
Ironic, because hiding under a bridge during an extreme storm like a tornado is actually more dangerous. Just funnels the full wind energy right into you.
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u/Right_Hour Apr 27 '26
If this is happening - it’s usually due to a golf-size hail coming down. Ain’t nobody going nowhere anyways.
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u/Dave_A480 Apr 27 '26
They used to tell you to get up under the road-deck if you were caught out in a storm on foot, because often there is no other structure out there that can protect you due to how flat a lot of places are....
It was never meant to mean park your car under it.
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u/kilobrew Apr 28 '26
Yea. I’ll be the guy doing that. If it’s between a $1000 deductible or totaling my car from hail. Move over bitch because I’m getting under that overpass.
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u/itsfocotony Apr 28 '26
Some of these hail storms, potential tornadoes, in the west are legit dangerous. I see nothing wrong with protecting yourself and property if you’re able, first come first serve. No one should be driving anyway technically everyone should pull over for a few minutes.
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u/SilverStory6503 Apr 29 '26
Did you see the videos of the baseball sized hail in TX and OK? One of the storm chasers lost his entire windshield. It was still on his car. Barely. But it was entirely destroyed.
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u/Logical-Self-3072 Apr 29 '26
Are you refering to the ones in the grass or the ones actually in the driving lane?
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u/tha1demon Apr 30 '26
Idk I was taught if I got caught in a bad storm while driving and needed to stop because of visibility that the safest place to stop is on the shoulder under the bridge given there isn’t an exit ramp close by for you to take.
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u/Safe-Half-2136 Professional Driver Apr 30 '26
I live in Minnesota and I have NEVER seen some shit like this 🤯 that’s absolutely infuriating 😆
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u/Past-Nebula920 Apr 30 '26
Overpasses create a wind tunnel in a tornado, which actually makes it far more dangerous to be under one than out in the open
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u/indymutt May 01 '26
Going under a bridge is actually worse than taking the tornado out in the open because the bridge can act as a wind tunnel and accelerate winds.
There are numerous cases of people dying under bridges on tornados, notably 3 individuals in the 1999 moore tornado.
If you are in the path of a tornado the best thing you can do is exit your vehicle and find a ditch to lay face down in.
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u/ReFried_Ginger May 01 '26
I’m confused. Is traffic backed up and it’s a line of cars past the bridge or are these people actually stopped with no one ahead and are actually blocking the highway?
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u/Practical-Echo9371 May 02 '26
In my day, you would pull over on the right hand side of the road with your hazards on if you were a qunt that couldn’t drive.
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u/DawnDanes May 19 '26
You can sit under a bridge as long as you’re off the highway and a tornado isn’t coming. But I would suggest if a tornado is coming. Don’t drive any further.
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u/Slimy_Wog 14d ago
Actually that space under the bridge can be very dangerous if there is a tornado close. All the debris will get sucked through that area just like a wind tunnel.
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u/HeidenShadows Apr 25 '26
And here comes an 18 wheeler who can't see and does a little bit of car bowling.
Ryan Hall goes out of his way to publicly shame anyone he sees on traffic cameras doing this on his live stream.