Weight limits were invented for a reason: not to make things limiting and more complicated for us, but rather, to keep us and structures safe. Although not everything has a specified weight limit, everything only has so much weight it can handle. This is why elevators, airplanes, kayaks, roller coasters, and other structures and forms of transportation often feature defined weight limits and are required to.
However, for one bus driver in a viral clip, they failed to find another route when they decided to drive their 20 plus-ton tourist bus over Beaver Bridge in Arkansas, also known as the Little Golden Gate, a 75-year-old bridge that only has a 10-ton weight limit. The shocking video footage will have you biting all of your nails down to the nub!
Although the Little Golden Gate is surely a site to see, especially for tourists, all witnesses had their eyes on the bus…in terror. One bystander knew exactly what was potentially about to go down as they saw the tourist bus driving slowly over the bridge. “Ooh…” they say as the bridge begins to dip at every section the bus drives over.
Another passerby honks to warn the driver of the danger, but they continue crossing the bridge rather than reversing to safety. A few honks later and the bus driver is still braving the dangerous drive over the seven-decade-old structure. To top it off, one of the bystanders mentions something shocking: “This is the second bus to cross the 10-ton limit, one-lane Beaver Bridge.”
While the video footage is certainly frightening, the good news for everyone involved is that the bridge stayed intact, despite the bus driver making a risky and unprofessional move.
Still, the thing that’s important to remember is that even if one thinks they can successfully cross a bridge with a smaller weight limit than their vehicle, they could be causing long-term stress on the bridge’s overall structural support. In turn, crossing the bridge could be of danger to others, regardless of them being within the weight limit of the bridge.
To think how lucky the driver was that the bridge they were driving on only had one lane and didn’t have any other cars trailing behind it. All it’d probably take is a few more tons-worth of weight, and that bridge might have come falling down like the London Bridge!
Check out the video of the bus below! It’s not so easy to watch, but it’s a great reminder that weight limits are implemented for a very good reason.
