With so many holidaymakers out and about, it is almost inevitable that the new year has begun with a spate of frightening caravan incidents on the roads.
On Monday, a car clipped a caravan on the Hume Freeway near Benalla in Victoria.
Leading Senior Constable Mick Desailly told the Riverine Herald that the car collided with the rear corner of the caravan.
“That caused the caravan to lose control and go on to its side,” Sen Constable Desailly said. “The ute towing it also went on to its side, but luckily there were no injuries … just a huge traffic delay.”
Sen Sgt Desailly urged drivers to be careful on the road.
Emergencv services have had already attended the scene of several caravan incidents in 2023. PIC: Aitoff / Pixaabay
“Slow down, pay attention and get a good night’s sleep before you leave for a long journey,” he said.
Also, on Monday, a car towing a caravan became ‘fully engulfed’ in flames on the Monaro Highway. A witness told the Canberra Times said the car was badly damaged, but the caravan was untouched by the fire … and no one was injured.
The newspaper reports that the fire did however create multiple spot fires around the highway, requiring road closures until they were under control.
And a few days earlier, a young family reportedly had a lucky escape after their car, which was towing a caravan hit a pothole and flipped on Burrendong Way near Orange in New South Wales.
Grey Nomad Members now have the opportunity to win six 750ml eco flat bottles of Pinot Grigio (total value of $96) from Banrock Station.
The new eco-flat wine bottle is made entirely from Australian-sourced 100% recycled PET plastic, which is 83% lighter than a glass bottle. The slimmer, flatter profile allows twice as many bottles to fit in a standard wine case.
It’s lighter to carry, takes up less space in your van, is easy to store in your fridge or esky, and is great for life on the road.
* GN Members … Click here to enter
* Haven’t joined yet? Click here to learn about GN member benefits, how to join … and how to win!
A good reason to stay off the roads until the end of the school holidays.
Yep, we go nowhere during school holidays. Who needs a caravan park full of screaming kids.
No screaming kids at Glenreagh Recational area, Glenreagh NSW.
Yeah that would be a good spot
Amen
Yes, I have people get annoyed with me because I refuse to go on holiday with the van during the Christmas break. I cannot stand the volume and the impatient idiots on the road. It will be soon enough before I leave this earth without it happening earlier.
You make it sound like a caravan problem, when it was a car that clipped the van .
And a car that caught on fire. Misleading headline
Just because someone clipped you doesn’t mean that your rig and Ute should go out of control and roll. Still a van problem.
Don’t know how it’s a van problem, any vehicle clipped from behind will most likely go out of control.
You haven’t seen the police manoeuvre to cause a car to spin out of control.?
Regardless, the van was minding its own business and a hoon in a car misjudged
The “Pit Manoeuver”
Look up the “Pit Manouvre” commonly used in the USA by police to bring pursuits to an early finish. Clipping any moving vehicle on a rear corner is likely to put it out of control or to roll.
If someone belts in the rear corner of the van hard enough you are going to have the devils own job of controlling the resultant manoeuvre and get back on top of it.
Not the van drivers fault. Stupid person hitting him in the first place.
So tell me how is it a van problem do u tow a van just wondering
I thought the same
Misleading headline.
Exactly. Same with car on fire…
Jan 2nd ute clipped driver rear corner of my box trailer on home hiway near Glenrowan at 95ks and kept on going. L constable Mcinnes responding said nothing could be done as I didn’t his number. In 3 years from the US I think people here are way too aggressive on the road. Caravans are going way to fast. Brian..
agree people towing vans travel to fast i cruise along at 90 and vans go past as though i was standing still. there needs to a be a max speed limit of 90 kmph for any one towing a van
That is not the answer. Van drivers on a while are more responsible and responsive than the idiots around them.
not the van drivers i have been stuck behind.
I totally agree with this comment.I was following a large van last week down a national highway and I was doing the speed limit of 110 Km/h in my car, and the driver of the caravan was still pulling away from me. Absolute madness, it’s an accident waiting to happen. It’s time to make 90 km/h the maximum speed limit for anyone towing Caravans. On top of that, there should be mandatory towing courses that include how to distribute the weight equally in the car and caravan as well as the importance of having the correct suspension to handle these large loads. It’s crazy that one can buy a caravan that can weigh up to 4.5tonne and can be towed by someone that’s probably never towed anything bigger than their 6×4 box trailer.Truck drivers are well to aware of these issues and it’s time that people towing vans catch up.
That’s because of all the trucks pushing caravans to go faster, and they pass so close, or coming in the opp direction, they manoeuvre so close as to cause the caravan to sway violently as they pass…it’s a deliberate act to force people off the road
You make a good point that Australian drivers are far more aggressive than Americans, the reason being that they have nothing to fear. Americans often carry guns and are not afraid to use them when threatened.
People u tows caravan. The Government should make People to go do a anther license. Luck of experience..
Exactly! These cars follow too close! They’re always a foot from your rear end! So dangerous. I see cars all the time burning up behind on a highway, when I’m on the left, nothing on the road and just miss your right rear end to go around! They should be passing 6 lengths back!
Followed a caravan today down the Bruce Highway. It looked like a new van (Christmas present?).
It was twitchy and at one point he slowed down to let a truck pass and I thought he was going to lose it. In addition he was emptying his grey water tank on the road (and also on the front of my car) as he drove along. I can’t imagine his caravan was that inherently unstable, it was a well known brand. I can only imagine he was loaded wrong. I was also towing a van and the road is awful with potholes, ruts, and subsidence, however my van was not behaving like his.
I would say not loaded correctly. Moving 20kgs from the rear to the front is often enough to settle a twitchy van down.
May be why he was dumping water!
Unfortunately you can’t assume caravans are loaded incorrectly in all cases. I have seen brand new vans come into the salesyard with 30-40kg ball weight on a 2 tonne tare van. One avge male could sit on the rear bumper & the A-frame tow hitch would lift 300mm off the ground. Solution by owner of business? Get a 2 mtr long piece of solid steel 70mm x 35mm approx & weld across the A-frame then paint to match chassis colour. True story as I personally witnessed this done on at least 5 brand spanking new vans. Does anyone in authority care? NOPE!
So how many non caravan accidents have there been by comparison?
I’ll bite. How many then?
But of course any such figures need to be prorated to the number of participants in each group, perhaps according to km driven
Media always make a big thing of van accidents.
Last trip across the continent in 2022, we happened on 3 large truck a cidents, one of them fatal, and yet nothing on the news.
2 roll-overs and a truck going into trees.
Typical Australian reporters, can’t allow the truth to spoil a story!!
Same in NZ.! Bad reporting.
Just a friendly reminder to all , Don’t camp in Heavy Vehicle parking bays at any time .
Tell us more Rich.
Hi Sue, thanks for the request,
Parking or camping at Rest Areas in allocated Heavy Vehicle bays with Holliday travelers is very frustrating for professional truck drivers that are required by law to take rest breaks if they can’t find parking if cars and or caravans are taking up truck bay’s, I believe the general public don’t realise the importance of rest breaks for truck drivers, there is very heavy fine’s for drivers if they exceed even 10 minutes over maximum driving time, so many thanks for consideration for the truckies.
The amount of caravans on the road these days usually being towed by vehicles with a towing capacity less than the recommended capacity of the towing vehicles
I think there should be a qualification from the authorities for caravan towers
As a heavy rigid licence holder i see so many people with vans thinking they can drive like a standard car
If you add the weight of the towed vehicle and add the van and include packed gear they are driving vehicles heavier than light trucks, often faster than the road speed
Caravan
How about you truckies get off caravaners tail then
This article is very misleading, and entirely not acurate
So in that “Caravan” incident reporting, if you read closely, not one single incident related directly to a caravan. Motor vehicles were the primary vehicles involved and caravans were secondary or incidental.
But an inflammatory headline always gets a read doesn’t it.
Stereo
I am a FNQ local and I cannot believe how ignorant most people towing caravans from southern states can be up here. On our narrow roads with few overtaking lanes I see cars towing caravans at a sedate 80-85 km/hr with long lines of traffic, particularly trucks, behind them. Only once have I seen a caravan pull over to let the traffic behind them past. Talk about a sense of entitlement.
Stereo
l have travelled extensively around this great country and with some qld roads there is no where to pull over to let traffic past. I use a cb to contact truckies and let them know i will pull over when a suitable spot is available. I do agree some van people will not pull over when they get the opertunity to do so
OMG..are you for real. Stop pushing us? Some caravans can not cope with doing 100 klms. It’s dangerous. I always let trucks pass me, i slow diwn to give you better time to travel past me. Not everyone the same. And if I see too many cars behind me (I have camera on my caravan) I find a safe area to pull over. Always aware who is there, and for how long
Yep totally agree with Stereo, see it every day of the week it’s a wonder a lot more don,t get a hit up the clacker, $200,000 outfits and won’t go over 80ks because it mite use a bit extra fuel.
It’s the city people that don’t know how to drive on country rds plus they don’t know how to drive a caravan full stop . I see pletty of new ones but they can’t drive with them even reverse parking with a caravan they don’t know how to do this . I think they should bring in a licence that operate a caravan . As a country guy , I see heaps of near misses with these people behind a wheel towing a caravan that have no experience towing . Even on a dual Hwy , law said stay to the left unless overtaking , so many idiots don’t follow this rule and they come out of a big city and they reckon they own the roads
It’s not just city drivers, a lot who tow vans want to be at there destination yesterday. I have until recently held a truck licence and I have been towing vans for almost 50 years. So I have seen a lot it’s everyone who uses the roads. Everyone has to pass the slow van and that includes trucks. I have been passed on double lines, crest of hills and places you wouldn’t dream of
Cam you are so right in your comments re caravans and there owners inexperienced in towing and zero regards to the rest of the world but it’s not only them it’s them motoring public in general these days everyone is in such a hurry to die these days I can’t believe that people can be so stupid behind the wheel it’s like the world has gone mad
I don’t see that any of those incidents were caused by by caravans
On Tuesday afternoon on the M1 motorway halfway between Ballina and the Qld border with NSW, a caravan rollover southbound bound with both directions affected with emergency vehicles. Around 3pm EDST.
Caravans should only be allowed on roads between 7pm to 7am !!!
In that case same for trucks mate ,drove trucks 40yrs just as many dumb arses in trucks ,but do think caravan drivers should have special licence training
We drive a motorhome all over Australia and never had an issue with caravans or any other vehicle, I drive at about 90 K get good fuel economy in my Fiat Ducati.
With speedo correction your 90k equates to 84 /85k. Another mobile roadblock.
Most of the rollovers have twin cab utes pulling the van . The majority of these utes can’t legally tow 3.5 t. Most of them can’t tow that weight. They are a tradies work vehicle that have rear drum brakes and are so light in the back they can’t be controlled in an emergency situation. People need to find out the facts before buying one