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In an aerial view, cars drive by the San Francisco skyline as they cross the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Oct. 27, 2022.
A video of Taiwan commuters stopped on a bridge swaying after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 on Wednesday is going viral on social media — and it’s unsettling to watch. The quake, the largest to hit the country in 25 years, hit during rush hour.
For anyone living in the bridge-filled San Francisco Bay Area, the footage prompts the question: What do you do if you’re driving on a bridge during a major earthquake?
Both the California Highway Patrol and the U.S. Geological Survey advise motorists to keep moving at a safe speed, if possible, and to not stop on a bridge during an earthquake.
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“If you’re stopping on a bridge, you’re ultimately blocking the road,” said CHP Officer Andrew Barclay.
Once you’re off the bridge and on the highway, you may opt to find a place to pull over off the road. “Remain in the vehicle with your seat belt fastened, engine off, and parking brake set,” CHP advised in an emailed statement. “Only leave the vehicle if staying inside poses an immediate threat to the welfare of you and your passengers.”
The USGS says that if you’re driving on roads after an earthquake, you should “watch for breaks in the pavement, fallen rocks, and bumps in the road at bridge approaches.
