Caravan weighing days to be well attended as safety message cuts through

Published: December 6, 2023

With the number of accidents involving caravans still worryingly high, a huge focus is being put on driver education and weight awareness.

The three-day event being held in Bathurst in NSW on Friday until Sunday, December 8, is a good example of the initiatives that are being put in place … and they are being embraced by caravanners.

Transport for NSW will host the free safety information days to educate caravanners about correctly calculating their caravan’s weight, how to load their caravan for even weight distribution, safe driving tips while towing, and ways to reduce the risk of being involved in a crash.

Transport for NSW Regional Director West Alistair Lunn said that as caravanning grew in popularity, so did the need to ensure caravans were operating safely.

“Simple things like adding a toolbox to the back of the van, popping a kayak on the roof or travelling with full water tanks can cause the caravan, tow vehicle or combination to become overweight or non-compliant and may increase the risk of a crash,” Mr Lunn said.   “An incorrectly loaded caravan can severely impact your braking capacity and also lead to snaking, swaying and loss of control of your caravan and vehicle.”

He said all owners of registered caravans were invited to the Mount Panorama pit complex in Bathurst to learn some vital tips that could save lives.

“Driving while towing a caravan is a different experience to normal driving and requires a higher level of knowledge and skill, a need for greater stopping distances, and consideration of environmental factors such as high winds, wet roads and uneven surfaces,” Mr Lunn said. “As part of our free weighing days, owners can learn the actual aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of their caravan, actual gross trailer mass (GTM), actual gross vehicle mass (GVM), actual ball weight and actual gross combination mass (GCM) of their caravan and vehicle.”

He said these days were a great opportunity to learn more about your caravan and more about safe driving, for the benefit of everyone on the road.

Interested caravanners can register for their free session via the Bathurst caravan weighing day website.

  • Do you have your rig weighed before taking a trip? Comment below.

  • Can’t make it to Bathurst? Click here to see the caravan weighing companies listed on the GN website.

  • Are you a Grey Nomad member yet? Click here to find out about the discounts, competitions and other benefits on offer.

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Possum
1 year ago

Perhaps if the Dept of transport provided a similar service throughout the country at their poorly attended weighbridges, at no or minimal charge, more vanners would take advantage of the service.
Safety on the road may improve.
It is almost impossible for everyone to attend a single point in NSW to take advantage of the offer.

Pat from the Top End
1 year ago

Some people expect everything to be served on a plate..
“Ask not what your country can do for you..
Ask what you can do for your country”

Safe travels..!!

86GTS
1 year ago

Finally people are coming to realise that you can’t get away with being overweight for much longer. There are so many overweight rigs getting around.

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