The Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIAA) has called for the introduction of subsidised towing courses, and a National Safe Towing Campaign in a bid to improve road safety.
As the number of caravans on the road has increased so too, seemingly, has the number of accidents involving them.
Just last Friday, a 71-year-old man was killed on the Stuart Highway near Wirraminna, in South Australia’s Far North. Police say he was driving a Mitsubishi Pajero towing a caravan which lost control and rolled.
Major Crash investigators attended the scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
With more caravans on the road, should subsidised towng course be available? PIC: Cizza
As Australians prepare to head to the polls this year, the CIAA has publicly unveiled its new policy roadmap, The Road Ahead: A View to the Future. It includes calls for $3 million for subsidised towing courses targeting 10,000 participants annually; and a $2 million National Safe Towing Campaign to improve education and awareness.
The organisation says that, with more than 900,000 registered RVs on Australian roads, these measures will address the increasing risks associated with towing and ensure safer road travel for all.
“Caravanning is the backbone of domestic tourism, particularly in regional areas,” said Stuart Lamont, Chief Executive of Caravan Industry Association of Australia. “These policy priorities aim to make journeys safer and communities stronger while enhancing the overall experience for travellers.”
He said that last year Australians made a record 15.3 million trips and stay 60.7 million visitor nights, most of which were in regional and rural Australia.
“As an industry we continue to see growth across both the manufacturing and tourism sectors of the industry, growth that has seen the industry achieve some dizzying milestones,” said Mr Lamont.
The CIAA would like to see a number of other initiatives implemented, including measures to ensure the local manufacturing industry remains strong, small businesses are supported, and caravan parks are encouraged to reduce emissions.
The CIAA says regional communities also stand to benefit through expanded infrastructure investment. The organisation says a $10 million Caravan Park Infrastructure Grant Program will modernise facilities, enhance accessibility, and introduce eco-friendly practices, ensuring caravan parks remain vital economic hubs for local communities.
“As we saw from previous funding for caravan park infrastructure grants, regional economies benefitted significantly, not only on through the infrastructure investment but the economic flow on through more Australians visiting our beautiful regions,” said Mr Lamont.
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As a caravanner of more than 35 years, I’m a big advocate of better training. I don’t however, see the need for the Government to subsidize such training.
We’ve all spent tens of thousands on dollars (sometimes hundreds of thousands) on a car and caravan. Surely we can afford, and should be willing to, spend a little more to learn how to do it safely.
I’ve read on many occasions, how mandatory training or licencing would be nothing more than a grab for cash, but I for one would be happy to finance my own training if necessary, and comply with a licence endorsement.
The arrogance of some caravanners to believe their years of experience driving a car, or car and trailer, equip them for driving such a heavy/long combination astounds me.
Your not thinking of age pensioners who can’t afford these courses. There are many many people different ages that have purchased caravans to live in fulltime due to mortgage stress or rentals unavailability. Any help we can give them should be upheld.
My hubby has been towing all his adult life this won’t affect us in anyway but it can help others and reduce the road toll. We all pay TAX
Helen,
We don’t subsidize driver training for heavy vehicle licencing, motorcycles, nor marine licencing. I don’t understand why you expect the taxpayer to cover this?
My wife and I are both retired, self funded, and we understand the pressures of the cost of living, driver training and licencing is a small cost by comparison to your rig setup.
Well said! If you can afford the rig, you can afford the training. We pensioners get quite a good deal as it is and certainly don’t deserve any special rights to do with caravanning. It’s a life choice and we all know it will cost, often more than expected. So many oldies get themselves into large vans with all the fruit and then to expect more support from the public purse is a very big stretch indeed. One fairly common problem I see is vanners towing large, relatively heavy rigs with light trucks in the D-max/ Hi-Lux range and expect that to go well always. It’s crackers! That 3.5 tonne towing capacity spec is for at best, down to the boat ramp or to the service shop with such double-axle beasts. Sure, you can do it with hitch upgrades etc. but it’s still a big ask for such a vehicle, and not giving you much edge when conditions get tough. Proper training would see owners get set right on such matters.
If you can’t afford one of these courses, then you can’t afford to travel. We are doing a course, a good investment, and peace of mind for added safety.
There are literally thousands of motorhome owners who drive a vehicle over 4.5 tonne and have either a light rigid or heavy vehicle license. They all pay for the training and attainment of this license. Why should a caravan owner be any different! More training is required and personally as a tax payer I don’t want to fund it and believe the onus is on the driver – the government should make a special license category mandatory.
Have same thing here,HR + F bus ,used to drive tow truck part of job heavy mechanic.
Taught TO READ the traffic ahead,Remember the most important nut on a vehicle is the NUT BEHIND THE WHEEL.
Whilst I can see the Benefit I have been Towing Caravans, Boats etc as well as driving Trucks for over 35 yrs. Fortunately I have had no accidents whilst doing so and hopefully I don’t in the Future.
If made mandatory I would Sell my Van.. It can’t be a decision that dismisses my experience… I think a 10 year rule should apply. People should show proof of Towing for at least 10 years before or do the Course.
This is something I’ve been saying for years. Totally agree that if you’ve held an articulated vehicle licence for many years it would be silly to make these people take a towing course. I bought a motorhome because even though I have many years experience driving heavy vehicles, I’ve never towed anything more than a trailer. I went to a Caravan & Camping show once & saw a big American tow vehicle with a HUGE 5th wheeler attached, total length longer than a metro bus & when I asked what licence was needed to drive it I was told an ordinary car licence – insanity. To keep my heavy vehicle licence I’m required to have a Medical every year but no-one pays for that. If you can afford these huge tow vehicles & vans you can surely pay for a course, pensioner or not.
Excellent reply ,Have seen the the same at caravan shows.INSANITY just about sums it up.
Truth is, there is a severe need for a proper licence (not a course) and a real test for car+caravan combination…
I would say about 50% of Australian caravan owners need this test badly…
It is no difference for us in the truck industry!!!
There will always be idiots on the road, but lets start by concentrating on the one that simply need to learn to drive first…
I’m with you for a licence endorsment for towing and if you can afford $100 + for a van and car you should be able to afford a towing couse and I am on the penson too and also an ex truck driver
also slow down 100 + speed will only get you there faster
Have you considered approaching your insurance company and asking for a reduction on your policy as you have passed a training course…
I agree as a heavy truck driver for more years than I care to admit yes training should be mandatory BUT make sure the teacher knows what they are teaching My wife and I went to a towing course. As I have been taught when revising it’s Left hand down or right hand down what ever is required This course was teaching PUSH or PULL so if we are going to teach get it right. I also been towing vans and trailers for a number of years. Stay safe and keep enjoying our great country
My understanding is that state/territory police conduct investigations and prepare reports for their respective coroners, The crash investigators draw conclusions on the most likely cause(s) Wondering if the results of investigations that take place after every fatal and most critical injury crashes involving caravans could be collated and results (official cause(s)) could be published. It is possible there would be many valuable lessons to learned.
I last 5 years my caravaning , I don’t recall any follow up on caravan accidents. What is less presented, roll overs by drivers completed advance van training. Roll over by caravan is typically particular reason, it is not speed or a kg extra. As we can read from some better quality accidents reporting, even well trained people experience roll over. Any caravan accident should include official cause. Until that, we barking at the wrong tree.
No as most people do over the speed limit anyway. And common sense can’t be taught.
Very rarely see anyone in a caravan travelling over the speed limit! The article is about caravan training courses.
It would depend on the content of the course ….. correct loading and weight distribution is a must, not just towing and reversing, and also caravan maintenance (simple diy tasks)
Both my wife and I completed a two day towing course with Roadcraft Driver Education. Before we set off on our big lap. Great course. Highly recommend.
I don’t think that the courses need to be subsidised.
If people can afford to buy huge luxury caravans towed by large expensive 4×4’s they can afford to pay for a towing course & a licence to tow.
Simple really.
Every year there are hundreds of vehicle drivers/passengers killed and thousands of non-fatal accidents occurring. 99.9% of these accidents involve drivers who have had years of experience and/or substantial pre-license training. This includes the heavy vehicle transport industry. With almost a million RV’s on the road the law of averages tells us there will be accidents and fatalities.
Unfortunately, mandatory training will never compensate for stupidity, ignorance, impatience and a lack of common sense.
Training is an option however I seriously think a 90km speed limit for all vehicles towing a van would be a great help. Of course this needs a slow vehicle overtake area every ten is to allow overtaking by trucks and sole vehicles
I never travel more than 90klms i believe its the law in most states
No states that I know of
100 in VIC, NSW, QLD, NT and SA not sure about WA as I haven’t yet been there.
Many crashes are caused by frustration of people overtaking slower vehicles unsafely. Who will pay for all these overtaking lanes you mention?
Why is it when ever there is a caravan involved in an accident it is assumed it’s got something to do with towing. And we all need a towing course ??
What really coursed the accident
I see countless vans every year holidaying/travelling in my region. Most are well overweight and towed by the mighty twin cab that can safely tow 3.5 tonne….hahahaha A course would include how to correctly load a van, know your vehicles real world towing capabilities (not what they advertise or the salesman tells you) as well as many other facets of owning and towing a van. In my opinion the sooner the better. First thing I,d teach is the overtaking lanes are not designed for you to find another 10kph in your rig!!!!
Good question, it’s always the van driver or the truck driver, you never really hear what actually caused the accident. As also said, someone that will benefit jumps on the bandwagon.
Why should the training be subsided? It should be a class of licence just as truck driving licences are. The truck drivers have to pay for their training. Speaking from experience.
Has anybody or an esteem organisation taken the time to estimate just how many caravan/motorhome/campertrailer trips that peolpe take each year, the kilometers they collective travel and then divide the amount of accidents caused by not just involing an RV.
Each time I read an article about RV training or licence requirements it is mainly people that will financially benifit by the imposed regulations.
As with any defined group in society there is will alway be that percent that will not comply with regulations whether it be weight/speeding ect. No matter what training they have had.
The article said 15.3 million trips were made. Even 15,000 accidents would only be just under one tenth of one percent (0.01%) of those trips if my maths is correct. You are correct, there will always that element who will ignore any training they are given because they think they know better.
I can see nothing wrong with the Caravan Manufacturer applying an extra $100.00 to the price of a new van for training with a reputable Learner Driver Firm. A weekend course would be sufficient for most people. Then on the Second Hand market, you must obtain a permit/course pass before you can take it from the yard.
I don’t think to many would be put out by this safety measure. If you can’t afford to be safe, you can’t be on the same roads as me. No Apology.
Of course the CIAA have for years been denying their role in the state of the industry. Shonky compliance plates, shonky dealers and shonky manufacturers that all but destroyed consumer confidence in the legal system supposedly governing the industry
There are literally thousands of caravans travelling this country, and when the odd one comes to grief, all hell ensues. 99% of people dragging vans around are pretty savvy with towing. Those who have no clue, or a vested interest, are the ones suggesting towing courses.
Towing class. It can’t hurt…
I think no caravan should be sold new or second hand without a proper weight certificate. The industry needs major overhaul and to accept responsibility for major flaws in their products. Self regulation of these vehicles have left new drivers with faulty vans and unroadworthy purchases.
Also no vehicle should be sold as capable of towing a certain weight if it requires the load in the car to be reduced. This creates a lot of confusion in the industry.
a towing course seems a little extreme as others tow big boats etc. If a course is mandatory it should be for towing of any kind. Now to the real problem… . Most Caravanning people buy the biggest van they can afford and tow it with a car that is advertised to tow 3 – 3.5 tons…. .
In my opinion towing that kind of weight behind a Twin Cab / Prado with an empty weight of 2 tons is asking for trouble if a difficult situation arrises as the heavier van will overpower the towing vehicle once a sway develops and the rest is history. I would prefer a weight limit that legally can be towed behind any vehicle to be the same or less than the empty weight of the towing vehicle. In this way there is less chance of the unit being towed taking over the show when something goes wrong. I would suggest that any insurance claim with a potentially overweight combination be refused and the proof in case of an accident is put on the owner before any claim is paid out . This would ensure all drivers think what they tow and how much gear they pack before setting off with an overweight and often unbalanced rig.
I think a lot of the problem is the tow vehicle even though the manufacturer says it can tow a certain weight when you see this small suv towing a van that aesthetically looks ridiculously way too big for that vehicle you have to doubt how that can be?
The old equation of the tow vehicle must weigh at least the weight of the trailer or caravan being towed to me still seems more adapt than what you see on our roads.
These short little suv,s shouldn’t be legal to tow these over length vans, once the van starts pushing the car they don’t have a hope in hell of controlling the rig.
NO I don’t think towing courses will change things much it’s the mentality of some of the people I Have to get there yesterday,the speed sign said 100 so I can do 110 regardless of the road conditions, I got to get there first..then there is the drivers who cut in on you, I could go on we have been vanning now on and off for 15 years since we retired,just look at the statistics between van accidents and all other accidents on the roads and as noted there are a lot of us out there.
If a person can afford a caravan they can afford to pay for being trained to tow it. The public purse she not subsidise this private expense.
I believe the main problem is over loading or incorrect loading, if the government made it compulsory for vehicles towing vans to use The checking stations that trucks use along our many hi ways there would be fines galore and that would certainly bring about change.
Accredited towing courses are long overdue, there is too many overweight vans and many being towed without extendable mirrors on the car. Its also interesting how many cant reverse a van in a park. Bring it on and make our roads safer
Reading through all the comments so far no one has highlighted a major issue with some of the incident facing road users today and that is the poor condition of roads around the country. It doesn’t take a lot for a loaded combination to become unstable, a simple uneven road surface is enough to cause the unit to become unsettled. A short 2 plus day training course is great for people with little to no towing experience. Great information on van loading reversing hooking up ect but it won’t make the operator and expert or prepare them for the heart stopping moment you van wheels drop of the road edge at 100 ks or the change in your vehicle stability when the BDouble overtakes you out on the Nullarbor. I am now retired and travel full time after nearly 50 years on the highway as a truck driver and have seen some very scary situations but even I will often will still have situations where my combination can feel a little loose after dip in a bend of rough bridge approach. The big difference is experience allows you to read the conditions and take the correct steps to maintain control. Experience also gives you the confidence that you are always safely in control and you have done everything to operate your vehicle safely. You can’t teach experience. One issue that gets raise a lot is licensing for towing. I don’t under the current system where you can operate a vehicle up to 4.5 ton on a car license and hook up 3.5 ton of trailer to it and still be classified as 4.5 ton. If the law just specified the total combination of your vehicle can’t exceed 4.5 ton on a standard license then most caravan would need to upgrade to at least a heavy vehicle which could then include some training and a zero alcohol. My current unit is 15m long and weighs just under 8ton legal. My wife could legally drive this on a car license having never towed a trailer. This is just crazy.
well, a start would be to test if the driver knows current road rules, you be surprised how many would fail .. or would you.. a basic course would do no one any harm. but should the weights of caravans be addressed first , loaded full and so is the towing vehicle with tinny on top. !!
OK, a towing course would be an advantage BUT why not tell people how the accident occurred. May not be the fault of the driver. A lot of variables here.
If the law and common sense prevailed I think that safety would improve exponentially. Overloaded vehicles, an nose down car nose up common – “she’ll be ok”, excessive speed to conditions . . . . and on it goes. One is amazed at what one sees on the road. Police need to get out there and be proactive. Hidden cameras are not the only answer to road safety.
Having been a tower of a number of both large caravans and large boats, (30ft and 24ft) for around 40 years without incident, except one and that was caused by a small car chopping and changing lanes on the freeway a couple of years ago and he tried to jump in front of me just as the car in front of him jammed it’s brakes on to miss a family of ducks who had decided to cross the road.at that time and he wore my bull bar in his boot, with no damage to us or our Landcruiser or boat, but the impatient fool who caused it had his car written of, and paid a fine.
That was a ‘caravan’ incident that was definitely not the caravan owner’s fault, but I wonder how many such incidents are included for no other reason than to boost the numbers for those pushing for ever more regulation and of course, fees?
Unless all drivers who tow trailers, boats, horse floats, caravans, mobile homes towing trailers or anything else are treated the same, go away and chase the maniacs racing through school; crossings, intersections, red lights and all the other little tricks that seem to be getting more common as the police presence on the roads becomes less so and none of which involve caravans..
Of course, some inexperienced caravan towers could gain from more knowledge but that comes with time on the road, not a course of a couple of hours and a couple of hundred dollars in the government’s pocket.
Special licenses (and fees) don’t make better drivers, as is plain to see every single day on our roads, but experience does, hence the ‘P’ plates new drivers have to use as they get more experience so rather than jump in and rope everyone in, introduce a similar system to the ‘P’ platers for young drivers if you must so the newbie caravan owners gain experience as they go and leave those with unblemished records alone!
No, I don’t agree with a subsidy: enough free stuff already. The big question just where and how are we going to train the 900,000 + RV drivers. Just a quick calculation 900,000 x 2hour course = 1,800,000 hours. Assume 6hours in a training day = 300,000 training days. Sort out the logistics before a knee jerk ‘one in all in’ approach. Who, what, when, where, how: then get back to me.
You need to complete a certain number of hours with a learners permit in order to set the driving test. It’s the same with heavy vehicles which is in addition to the class 1 driving license.. It should be the same for towing a trailer over more than 750kg. I have a heavy vehicle license and I don’t believe the towing course should be free. I had to pay for the privilege of a driving school for my heavy vehicle license. Remember it’s a privilege to drive, it’s not a right. Caravan weights are often over 1.5 tonne and having the weight distributed correctly is critical for safe driving. Knowing what to do when it gets the wobbles is something else indeed and has to be acted on quickly. Everything from safe driving, using and adjusting mirrors correctly, braking safely, looking far ahead on the road, knowing what to do in an emergency like animal strike, driving in bad weather conditions, wet foggy rainy, dirt roads are all something that needs to be taken into account. Plus the fact that many caravaners live in the city where the speed limits are lower, and then take a van on the road to rural areas where speeds are higher and with a vehicle that is often twice the weight of what they are used to and usually to a destination perhaps unknown, means the need to be properly trained is not only paramount, but essential for the safety and good of all on the road.
Hi Dave. Agree wholeheartedly.
Seems to me the industry has lost the plot, the huge numbers of rollovers and blaming loss of control on the inexperienced is not just a matter of training, it’s the caravan manufacturers that have to take most of the credit for the instability and rollovers of the caravans on good paved roads.
Years ago, 70’s to 90’s caravans were mostly running on 13’wheels with 2″drop axels and kept a low center of gravity, roads were nowhere near as good as they are today especially out back often mud, bulldust, corrugations, and gravel, what now days would be called 4×4 only roads, hardly anyone had a 4×4,there were Vacuum breaks over riding cable or Hydraulic breaks, Verry few Electric Breaks certainly no traction control or cruise control. most tow rigs were manual, So why do these newer vans need to be on big baggy Tyres and have ridiculously insane ground clearances that seriously effect sway with the slightest wind or rain on good, paved highways??
I towed a 28ft Chesney triaxle on 13″ Tyres with an old 58 F100 thousands of miles in outback QLD & NSW over goat tracks they called highways with no G.P.S.no 2way Radio no cell phones and had to carry a 44gl drum of fuel 1gl of oil and 5gl water, admittingly the old F100 was a V8 but no air con I did have a windscreen rock guard with Fly screens on the windows and bug guard over the radiator the only engine mod was a huge custom made oil bath air cleaner courtesy of one of the mines I worked at.
Why aren’t manufacturers of caravans made to produce “safe” vans….in some cases weights are incorrectly stated and the van is manufactured to look aesthetically pleasing but not to be safe to tow. I also see many vehicles towing vans that are too heavy for them just because they have a rating suitable to the combination. Rule of thumb used to always be tow tug should be as heavy or heavier than the trailer it tows. There needs to be more regulation on the manufacturers and their agents so buyers can be confident that their rig is suitable for the road.
The cause of the accident hasn’t even been accessed. Typical knee jerk reaction from bureaucracy to regulate something and make it harder for the average person. People towing regularly certainly don’t need to do a course and those who tow once a year or so would be out of practice and would forget what they learned in a course ages ago.
Hi all. Driver training for towing should be mandatory for anyone wishing to tow anything over 750kgs as the vehicle behaves very differently to your normal car.
we see all too often vehicles being driven by the inexperienced and untrained drivers represented in accidents and roll overs. After all, we make people learn to drive their car in the first place. There is a very big difference between driving a 1500kg vehicle to controlling a vehicle at 6000kgs.
Just my opinion. I’ve seen it happen so many times in my 52 years of professional driving.
I can see merit in training similar to an articulated license.
But first there is 2 things that need attention.
1. The condition of the roads are an embarrassing situation for the states and federal governments.
2. Caravan manufacturers must weigh each and every caravan or trailer to ensure accuracy of the plate.
Lots of people are towing a rig with the plate weights and measures not accurate.
How can laws be enforced when there isn’t any basic manufacturing standards.
If you have never towed a trailer , van,horse float in your life sure would be helpful. Caravan yards should also talk to 1st timers as on our last trip a couple had just purchase their 1 st caravan and admitted had never ever towed anything up until a week ago owning the van he said he had a couple of close shaves not knowing what the clearance and stopping of such a large van , the freeway scared them both because they were trying to keep up the speed limit of 110 kmh, I said you are not allowed to tow at that pace well they both stared at me with a strange look on their faces and then the questions started WHY, our vehicle can do that speed.I stopped the conversation.
For 1st timers yes a course would help them but our government likes extra money anyway they can get it. It’s a bit like doing a learners permit and getting hours honest people 1 hour of training is 1 Hour, you go to job link driver training 1 hour equals 4 hrs . Are we all going completely stupid , common sense in this time does not exist anymore.shame