With travel on the rise and the south still feeling the impact of winter, far north Queensland is experiencing an influx of motorhomes and caravanners keen to take advantage of the warmer weather.
With Queensland Road Safety Week running from next Monday until Saturday, August 26, police in the Sunshine State are keen to ensure that grey nomads and other travellers knowing the limits of their vehicles.
Almost half of all crashes in 2020 and 2021 reportedly involve a vehicle towing a caravan, and deemed to be at fault, were caused by either the caravan or tow vehicle losing control.
Senior Constable Aleda Day, Crime Prevention Tablelands, said that a common mistake was that drivers were unaware they need to comply with three different weight categories.
Rigs must comply with weight restrictions. PIC: Weightcheck Mobile Caravan Weighing
Motorists need to be aware of their vehicle’s gross vehicle mass (GVM), their van/ trailer aggregated mass (ATM), and their combined Gross Combination Mass (GCM).
There can be serious consequences for failing to comply with all three weights, potentially resulting in traffic crashes causing serious injury to drivers, passengers, and other motorists.
Police say that any travellers are unsure of how much their caravan and car weigh, they can drop into a weighing specialist and have it weighed correctly, or drop into one of the free caravan weight days being held around the far north in the coming week.
These will be held at:
Walkamin Truck pads, Kennedy Highway from 8am-1pm on August 22.
Rotary Park, Howard Kennedy Drive, Babinda, from 8am-1pm on Friday, August 26.
Fantastic idea but a lot of people already know they’re overweight and drive on regardless.
…which demonstrates a compliance enforcement problem.
Non. It demonstrates that people towing caravan do not care. Police has others things to do than checking if your car / caravan are overweight. Sorry but it is your responsabilité to ensure that you comply with road regulation. Adding to that ALL CARAVANS SHOULD BE LIMITED TO 90 km/h. It is not because your car can pull 3.5 tons that you should do 100+ km/h
No it shows some people towing caravans are flouting the law and should take more responsibility for themselves and others or cop the consequences.
In the ideal world yes, but because most are arrogant, and self-entitled and don’t care about others, police must get involved.
Errr, NO. It is a lack of personal responsibility problem.
No, it demonstrates a complete disregard for the safety of others and themselves. Those who knowingly drive overweight either don’t believe they’ll get caught and/or don’t believe they’ll have a serious or fatal incident. When they start sending them to jail then they’ll start taking notice.
And the one most people don’t know/care about – the rear axle limit.
A fourth parameter that needs to be included is vehicle axle load limits and particularly the rear axle limit. Most people have little understanding of the multiplying effect the rear overhang of the tow ball has on axle load
It’s not only caravans. Cars, people mover type vehicles and heavy vehicles are in this group. Some know they do not comply others don’t care or are unaware. Had a truck driver at work complaining about caravans being over weight, a right old rant it was. Then he goes on to say he had been book 3 times this year in his dirt hauler, but you have to do it to make money was his reasoning. What about the family wagon going on holiday, load the family and head of, spare payload of a wagon is next to nothing when a family is loaded in. At least in Victoria we can use the VicRoads weigh bridges, which are left on for public use 24/7. Test ours each time we travel, and no cost to use.
Weigh bridges only give a general overall weight not the 3 specific weights needed nor whether your caravan weight is evenly distributed or not. Very important factors.
More than 3 weights required. Front axle, rear axle of tow vehicle, ball weight, van axle weight all to acheive gvm of vehicle, gvm of van and gcm. Balance of van, weight distribution, is another thing that needs attention. Vicroads bridges will give the weights needed. And I do have weighbridge operation certification and know the vicroads bridges well.
The statistic 2020 / 2021 about caravan accidents really alarms me. I have always tried to be ultra conservative on towing weights. But as the stats show, ignorance is not bliss!
Why are these checks only done in North Qld? It is just as important to load correctly and to right weight in all areas.
Maybe we caravanners should be allowed to run through the official weigh stations that cater for heavy vehicles and get a certificate prior to going out on the road!
Would be good if authorities posted a breakdown of the reasons what actually caused these accidents for our benefit
IMO, It’s worth the money to pay for a professional weight check just for peace of mind. Being familiar with the various weight requirements of Car/Van/GCM/TBM/Axle weights, I’ve had my rig checked twice in two years with two different tugs – I can make a close estimate over the local weighbridge, but nothing like the pros to make certain. They are knowledgeable and helpful with their advice. Someone did advise me that if you do have a crash, and it can be proven that your weights are all wrong, you can void your insurances? Take a look around any caravan park, and you can tell straight away when something looks really, really wrong – they just don’t care or have never bothered to learn.
A big part of the problem is that the regulations are so damned complicated and hard to understand for the layman, that many travelers towing caravans are unable to determine what they should be complying with.
Can I suggest that even if all weights are legal, the balance of the van ie where the weight is, has a dramatic effect on towability. Things might travel ok, even if travelling a little too quickly, until something untoward happens – wind, passing truck, having to move to gravel shoulder, avoid animal (not a good idea anyway?), etc, etc
I’ve up graded my 100 series L/C to a 6 wheeler I find have a extra 2 wheels and also I can add extra kg1000 -1T so with my cruiser and caravan I’m fulling 7.4 T I’m illegal under weight and I feel a lot saver on the roads and only travel between 90-100kms
Why weights all come in under the illegal limits
But things that get my head up set is caravanners travel far to close to each other and don’t give any conservation to vehicles behind your length of distance of your set up a accident waiting to happen
I also believe everybody with caravans motor homes and long motor home buses SHOULD all have a UHF – radio compliance compulsory and by law have it turn on whilst travelling on the HWY ‘s
This would make it a lot easier for Truck&Bus to communicate with travelling Grey nomads in front
And give the front vehicles indicate they are going to pass them
I talk to the trucks all the time and they love ❤️ it whilst you must remember there out there working and they all appreciate your effort in allowing them pass and you are aware they are behind your vehicle
Remember we all Owen the road we travel on but always think of the vehicle behind you
That’s my thoughts
Mick
I checked my loaded weight after my first long trip away and found to my horror that my small van was 40kg over its 1030 ATM and my towball weight was 130kg instead of max 80kg (I have a european vehicle). Now that I know – I am being very careful. But, what I can’t figure out is how people with a similar sized van to mine can blithely add so much extra stuff. I do wonder if they are weighing or not.
I wonder if the tow vehicles with a boat on the roof along with the motor inside it, a loaded car with various camping gear and 2 kids and 2 adults, and probably a couple of cartons, is weighed before even hitching up . So many times you see this scenerio . The back of the car weighed down and the front of the van the same. Needs more education and policing of these situations.