Two caravanners have escaped serious injury after a dramatic rollover on the Newell Highway south of Dubbo yesterday.
The large caravan rolled and slid down the highway, blocking both lanes.
Emergency services responded quickly but neither of the occupants of the 4WD that was towing the van required treatment or transport.
The accident happened at Yarrabar, 15 kilometres south of Dubbo, yesterday afternoon.
The Daily Liberal newspaper reports that the higway was blocked for more than an hour, with light vehicles diverted via Narromine and Tomingley roads, and then the Mitchell Highway.
The exact cause of the accident is still being investigated.
Glad they weren’t hurt.
What was the tug?…
And this is one of the major reasons to fit a Highland, or similar hitch to your caravan.
it’s NOT fixed on one plane to the drawbar.
it rotates 360 deg. In both directions. Apart from the bit blocked by the caravan. Chuckle.
The trailer can roll on it’s side and you stay on your wheels. Even if you end up with rear end up off ground.. You…..Theoretically won’t roll as the whose unit rotates.around itself.. and helps to control the trailer.
Do you have more pictures Mack, because I can’t see the hitch in the attached photo?
Sorry Dave. Don’t know what hitch they have.
It’s not visible there.
But those Highland Types are a good safety feauture. ON and OFF the road.
NO torsional stresses that can twist the coupling off the ball.
And. as a few said here, agreeing with me.
ALL NEW (and some not so new) trailer towers.
SHOULD. Compulsoraly have a days lesson on when. where. and how to do and not do things.
NOST of these rollovers.
ARE inexperienced drivers.
Quite often the wife. SO if she going to tow. she should go through course too.
We used to do double deck buses in UK. part of the training was a wet bitumin area with cones markingroute of direction.
You had to hit that area at 30 mph. then park brake slide it and control through cones. Was good fun and great skill training.
Same with Semi’s at BRS in the ’60’s.
ALL truckies have training b4 goiing on road.
What makes US any different.
.
I was driving the car and caravan. I hold an MC licence and have driven most types of heavy vehicles so experience was not the problem. It was the idiot I was passing who kept speeding up and slowing down as cars and trucks tried to pass him
In most cases of snaking the driver has no control over the event and it does not matter what speed or loading is involved with the caravan. It is the physics of the A frame connection that is at the root of the problem. I have developed a system I called “Differential Stability ” in the UK and have offered to give the van free of charge to the industry leaders but have had no offer over the past 7 years so the the events keep occuring.
Firstly , greatful they escaped with thier lives , everything else can be replaced .
Secondly ….i believe everyone experienced or not so , should have to do a defensive driving lessons with van on
Not so much as a defensive driving course but a tow course. Would have saved them with just a little knowledge. Should be mandatory before towing anyway….
Nothing to say that a tow ed course had not been done, many number of things can and do happen with very little reasoning. An accident can be just that. Thank god that they are both ok and not hurt. I wish people wouldn’t jump to conclusions about all these accidents.
Anything that would provide some experience and additional knowledge on how to handle a van would be very beneficial to everyone on the road.
Everyone seems to be jumping in with their two bobs worth without knowing the details. Seem to assume the fault of the driver or tug.
Tug was a 100 series.
I think it is a bit rude of mack to suggest thst s woman was to blame for this rollover
I agree with Bill Riches. There are so many variables involved here that it’s silly to draw conclusions until the facts are known. Regardless, I can see authorities cracking down on vanners as a result of the rise in van-related accidents. That may not be such a bad thing.