Well, regardless of the disagreements, my awareness has been raised -- I now know that when driving east of the Mississippi, I will have to be vigilant about clearances. That issue was not on my radar screen until this particular accident occurred.
I suppose there are hazards out West that Eastern drivers may not be aware of -- for example, when you are driving through the desert and the road dips into an arroyo. If there is a trickle of water across the road, you need to watch out for flash flooding, even if it is sunny -- it could be raining upstream.
Back East, there would be a bridge across the dip -- but out here, the water is so intermittent that the cost of the bridge would be disproportionate to the risk.
