The recent death of a motorist who was killed after being hit in the head by an object which flew off a caravan travelling in the opposite direction has sparked renewed calls for better towing safer regulations.
A University of Canberra (UC) staff member, Majharul Talukder, died in the accident which happened on Burley Griffin Way at Galong, near Yass, earlier this month.
The ABC reports that no charges have been laid in relation to the incident.
However, a close friend of Mr Talukder, Mainul Hader, has called for stronger standards around caravans, including licensing for drivers.
Towing safety continues to be a toipic of intense discussion. PIC: Cizza
“I think before you buy a caravan there should be some authorisation to make sure you’re allowed to take it on the road,” he told the ABC.
There is currently no requirement for drivers to have any specialised education or training before they hitch a van to their car.
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) says it does not want mandatory licensing but it does want governments to subsidise towing courses for new drivers.
CIAA general manager of government relations, Luke Chippindale, told the ABC that people towing a caravan needed to take extra factors into consideration.
“You can’t put the foot down and take off,” he said. “You have to be aware of the additional weight, how it impacts your speed and then the additional length of your vehicle,” he said.
Mr Chippindale said extra care was also needed on regional roads.
“We know unfortunately that regional roads often aren’t up to scratch, which means that while the road might have a 100-kilometre speed limit … the road surface may not allow us to travel at that speed,” he said.
According to Transport for NSW director of vehicle safety, Paul Duignan, there have been 37 crashes involving caravans in tow on New South Wales roads so far this year.
“Of the 37 crashes, 36 were in country areas,” he told the ABC.
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In ACT and NSW caravans must do an annual roadworthy check – That is the time to ensure that there are no insecure fittings attached.
I’m all in favour of a mandatory caravan towing licence.
I have a boat operators, motorcycle riders & a car drivers licence.
Whats so difficult in getting a caravan towing licence?
The fee doesn’t need to be exorbitant, say $100 for 5 years.
There are too many caravans travelling around with everything but the kitchen sink hanging off them.
The only thing hanging off my caravan is a single spare wheel.
I agree with you GTS, I have a heap of licenses as well for everything, but a dedicated towing license should be mandatory. When I am in my one of my family’s trucks and tow a trailer, I have a dedicated license for it, so should caravanners, and 5th wheeler owners as well.
it is a sad story that a person has lost life/caravan but people have NO patients pluss the road conditions are very bad
Until the ‘object’ is identified then it must be assumed that the accident was not caused by poor driving/badly loaded van/not driving to conditions/overtaking when not safe and so forth.
For all we know it could have been a hold down failure of a gas cylinder or spare wheel. Maybe a badly tied on chock. As it went through the windscreen only on the driver’s side it was unlikely to have been a step ladder or bicycle.
In such cases a special caravan towing license would have made no difference at all.
Murray
When there is an accident involving a caravan why do people assume the caravan driver is at fault? As for a special license, truck drivers have them and they are involved in fatal accidents almost every day.
Really! Truck drivers involved in fatal accidents almost every day?
I don’t think so. LOL.