With record numbers of caravans out on the road in some parts of the country, there are ongoing fears that there could be a spike in the number of accidents involving them.
While getting reliable data on the number of caravan accidents is notoriously challenging, WA’s RAC motoring organisation has already warned that September is a notoriously bad month … and the number of extra ‘novice’ vanners could make matters worse this year.
To some extent though, this surge in vanning in some parts of the country may have been cancelled out by the fact that some would-be travellers in our most populous states are effectively grounded by Covid restrictions.
Accidents are still happening, though.
Just this last week, the south bound carriageway of Queensland’s Bruce Highway at Cooroy was closed for some time after a van flipped onto its side.
It is understood a four-wheel drive towing a caravan crashed, causing the caravan to go over.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics responded but happily no one was injured in the drama.
Last month, Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto sparked a fair bit of controversy when he suggested that slow-moving grey nomads were in some way triggering risky behaviour from some motorists on the Bruce Highway.
What is the common denominator here?? Fatigue, speed, incorrectly loaded vans, inexperience??
It’s damn concerning that these incidents keep happening …. wondering if the Bruce Highway has the higher %???
Speed is the main reason. Just got back from 3 month through NSW.QLD.NT and honestly everyone pulling a van with the Landcruiser just going for it.big station wagon big motor and the few that I asked the weight they were pulling.Not one of them knew.dont need to know it just sits on 120kmh real neat.There,s the problem
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You have hit the nail on the head here, many caravaners do not what weights they are travelling with. Speed, weight incorrect packing, there is your problem. Everyone is in such a hurry, relax and enjoy.
Agree, we travel in motorhome and are amazed at number of caravaners who seem in such a rush to get past. Surely if they are on holiday it would be far less stressful to slow down and enjoy the journey.
Not sure of the Bruce Hwy, but the Castlereagh Hwy heading towards Lightning Ridge was disgraceful the last time I was up that way. My wiring loom came away from the tow bar. The auto electrician at Lightning Ridge wired on a new plug and said he was doing around 4 a day. He had plenty of stock
I have noticed that the multipin electrical plugs connecting the Caravan to the Car are very poor quality and struggle to carry the currents required. Pins get hot and the plastic melts. The pins on most of them can push back into the holder causing poor connections as well. I have tried to purchase a good quality plug and socket but can only buy poorly constructed plastic ones. They require constant checking to make sure that the pins/plugs have not failed. I have found it pays to solder the wires into the pins/sockets so that at least a sound connections is made as the screws holding the wires in are very poor quality and strip the thread easily.
The Bruce Highway is a notoriously bad road, constant roadworks (for the last 40 years) long stretches without passing lanes and very heavy traffic particularly during school holidays is a major contributor. My advice don’t obstruct the commercial drivers, they have deadlines to meet.
While touring Queensland’s top end and driving down the Bruce Hwy to Brisbane it was so stressful because cars and especially delivery trucks were tailgating me and making me go faster than I wanted. After about 2hrs of this I had enough and got off the Hwy and made myself a promise never to use that Hwy again. 4 years later I still haven’t been on it.
I swore in 1968 when in the Army that I would never travel on the Bruce Hwy again due to the condition and the amount of accidents. 53 years later I still have not travelled too far on it. Every chance I get I go around it, it is a terrible road.
I dislike the Bruce highway because a large percentage of truck drivers are just ignorant bastards who need anger management classes. We are currently in WA. What a difference the truck drivers have in attitude. They are pure gentlemen. Pitty their attitude couldn’t rub off on their East coast counterparts.
Agree with you re WA truck drivers. We just spent almost 6 months over there in motorhome and truckies would usually give us a thank you flash of their blinkers when we pulled over to let them pass and road trains appreciated us flashing our headlights to let them know when last trailer was clear. On returning to Qld and travelling down Bruce Highway from far North we immediately noticed difference. We experienced some suicidal overtaking attempts and had one truckie abuse us on the CB radio for holding him up on a section where we simply could not pull over.
Caravan or no caravan
Accidents , crashes, near miss happen every hour of everyday
One thing is absolutely certain, the Insurance companies won’t surfer. They have this “magic”ability to simply raise premiums so the “love “is spread amongst us customers (claimers and non claimers alike).
Ray, that’s how insurance works.
Yep, and it works well for the insurance industries. Sad we all pay the price for others mistakes or misfortunes though.
More overtaking lanes would help. Slow vehicle turnout lanes are no good, as they are too small and vehicles moving at 70 to 80 km can’t stop in time for them. More pull over areas would help, ensuring there is enough room to slow and pull over and are WELL SIGNPOSTED. We have passed several pull over bays but unable to stop as there was no signage or not enough room to slow and pull in. Can’t blame grey nomads, there are some very impatient drivers out there, as well as some slow moving heavy vehicles using main roads. Everybody just needs to learn to be patient and not rush everywhere.
More passing lanes would be great & more rest areas for the Caravaners. It would ease congestions and overall, we all would enjoy our holiday on the road.
It won’t be long and drivers will be required to have a trailer endorsement on their license. If you have to have it for a manual transmission then I imagine a course for new trailer owners will be mandatory. Also makes sense..
I agree most heartily .
Absolutely agree. The skill difference between driving an automatic and a manual is very small compared to driving a car and a car/van combo, which makes me wonder why its not already so. Also I think that the speed limit of (max) 100 kph (even 90 kph) should apply, as does in WA. Speed appears to be the most significant factor in accidents.
I have travelled from Cooktown to Mooloolaba Over the last few months and I have noticed Road works are happening everywhere putting in extra passing lanes. This has to be a great advantage to all road users.
I am very aware of traffic that builds up behind me but there are so little places on our roads to pull over. We do not have enough notice to pull over inMost pull over areas.
I did notice on the Highway south of Gayndah the green tags on guide posts to alert you to upcoming pull over areas, what a great idea. This would be a great idea on all of our Highways. So let’s get behind this and try to have it on all of our roads.
Speed and overloading will do it. Some drivers think that the posted speed signs are a minimum speed! SAPOL say there are NO minimum speeds in SA and we should drive to the conditions!
SPEED is the real issue. Remember when the distance between two places was in kilometres? Now it is in time. Just stop speeding. There should be a speed limit on caravans of somewhere between 80 and 90 kmph. Why aren’t the motoring clubs honing in on this and doing something with the relevant government department to legislate this safety? Come on RACQ ect. Off the bum.
Speed is the majority of the problem.i travel at 90 in our motorhome and many caravan pass us as we are still,,swaying all over the road.slow down and enjoy the trip
Excess unwarranted confidence in ones abilities coupled with “there is no fool like an old fool” is the problem.
I drive a motorhome and notice that caravans just have to pass me, seems to be an ego thing?
Perhaps if the overtaking lanes were marked “slow down to let overtaking vehicles pass” might help. So many use the left lane as required, however continue at or near the speed limit. No consideration for other road users.
What about the vehicles who speed up in the slow lane! Why aren’t there unmarked police vehicles giving out warnings and fines?
The biggest problem with the Bruce Highway is that is was, is and always will be a highway with trees, power poles, etc close by, steep grades, tight turns and it meets other roads at ‘grade’ (requiring traffic lights or stop signs, etc). If the Federal and State governments were series about road safety they would do what the NSW government has been doing over the last decade, replacing major highways with motorways.
Motorway have all these accident causing ‘problems’ designed out, and most importantly interface with other roads only through long access ramps that provide adequate length to change speed up or down thus removing most driving stresses.
Just my 2 cents worth, design the causes out, rather than keep repeating the mistakes of the past.
Long Week end in WA..
Showers For Sun/Mon rest of week
Just watch news 90c chance caravan prang on TV.
Read with interest Nick Dametto’s column on nomads travelling at 80kph to save fuel. As Nick drives the Bruce Hwy often between Townsville and North of then surely he would see impatient and speeding drivers including those with a lack of a concentration who cross the center line more often than you see the odd slow nomad.
However his problem will get worse once the intnl tourists and backpackers come back.
So they need to find the money to fund at least a dual lane hwy to reduce the inevitable carnage and let the freight flow.
No one has mentioned the “elephant in the room” – Changing van dynamics:
Vans are now off road heights, even if they are on road vans. There are less pop top vans sold.
They are higher than the wheel track so are inherently unstable. With up to 20 sq m of side area to be blown by the wind.
The roof is loaded with A/C, Tv ant, satellite dish, many solar panels to power all the appliances carried.
There is a couple of hundred liters/kgs of water sloshing backwards and forwards in tanks.
The vans are heavier than the tow vehicle so can control the tow vehicle.
In a windy, change of direction situation it all adds up to trouble especially if the driver has no idea of skid control.
Hi Phil , you may be onto something about the centre of gravity getting higher on vans . Vans are higher and roof loaded full of solar panels ect .
Honestly think it’s vans are just to heavy in general compared the the weight of the vehicle. Personally would never have van heavier than the tow car . This may upset some people but laws of physics will always win
Hi Bill
My van is 60% of the weight of the tow vehicle, it is 2.1m high poptop and only 2m wide. we have towed it about 170,000 kms and it tracks beautifully behind us, I have tested it on a safe piece of road- emergency swerving and braking so I know what to expect. How many others have done that? I also know how to correct a vehicle slide – after 2000 race track kms in the last 10 years it becomes 2nd nature