When the failures described above occurred, engineers were sensitized to their own limitations and so approached subsequent designs - no matter of what kind of bridge - with renewed respect for the laws and forces of nature. Unfortunately, human memory fades with time, and new generations of engineers with no vivid experience of past failures can proceed with hubris to design again beyond wise limits.
失败常会暴露弱点，明白无误地表明我们对规律的了解还很片面。事故发生时，工程师们了解了自身的局限，今后设计桥梁时就会更尊重自然法则。令人遗憾的是，时间能够冲淡人类的记忆，没有对过去事故有过亲身体验的新一代工程师的设计常会过于自信地越过明智的界线。