Queensland Police say they have found 90% of caravanners have no idea how much weight they should be towing or if they have packed their caravan and vehicle correctly … and they are determined to change that.
To that end, Bundaberg Highway Patrol Officers recently conducted caravan educational sessions at the Gin Gin rest area.
These one-on-one sessions include weighing the caravan and vehicle, and providing advice on packing properly so that weight is evenly divided over the axles.
Officers also provide assistance with redistributing the load if required.
Having your caravan weighed can be educational. PIC: Weightcheck Mobile Caravan Weighing
Together with general guidance on towing, police say these sessions equip the motorist for safer towing.
Acting Sergeant Gordon Hard said that educating caravanners on weight and correct packing was incredibly important.
“The public love it when we approach them and offer to weigh their car and caravan,” he said. “These sessions are a great way to provide road safety information in a casual environment.”
The Queensland Government says crashes involving caravans are often caused by either the towing vehicle or the caravan itself being too heavy, or weight not being distributed evenly.
It says this can include not putting heavy items up high in the caravan, and recommends keeping them down low, over the axles preferably to avoid heavy weight behind the axles or too far forward of the axles.
The Queensland Police Service says it is committed to reducing the number of lives lost on our roads.
Data shows that serious crashes can be significantly reduced when drivers recognise and avoid the ‘Fatal Five’ behaviours: speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seatbelts, fatigue and distraction.
Grey nomads can get more information about safe towing here.
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And of course the shonky compliance plates and shonky dealers and manufacturers wouldn’t be to blame would they?
Not half!
Based on many caravan forums i thought everyone weighs their van before going anywhere.
Seems some at telling a few porkies.
When we upgraded ou van while on the move, we had it weigh with everything in it from old van and same tow vechical, it came in on the limit of our exhisting tow vechical.
You should hv and 10% safty margine weight wise.
we ended up upgrading tow vechical to give us a safty margine.
On talking too other long term travellers such as us most said they never get the rig weighed and travell roads to avoid this.
You see some rigs roll into camp area,s with back of vechical just about dragging on the ground and you just shake your head with the what if,s that can happen on the road.
so education of any kind is better than none.
And may be some photos of what does happen when it all go,s wrong.
The other thing is speed combined weight of rigs that are 6 ton and over hv a top speed of 100kph in most states we hv been too, hv never heard of a carvaner beening booked for going over these limits.
I am not sure but I suspect in SA road trains are like all vehicles restricted to a speed of 110 km/h.
I am happy to be corrected on this,
I think road trains are only allowed to go 90 k’s
Depending on road’s and state’s, no uniform speads across Australia!
Agree compliance plate are the major contributing factors. The caravan industry seems to be totally self regularity and therefore open to abuse. The customer buys in hope the plates are somewhere close to the actuals. Ha ha ha ha ha
More pullovers and testing would be a step in the right direction. But the RTA would have to get off their butts so it won’t happen, unfortunately.
William, unfortunately government depts operate on a budget and I know from my dealings that Compliance have had their budget severely curtailed by the previous government. Hopefully with this new government that “may” change but I’m not going to hold my breath.
I’ve attended the Caravan QLD weight checks and would recommend that as many as possible do so, I still had 150 kgs left in the van and 300 kgs left on the tow vehicle so plenty to play with but its nice to know I’m 100% legal.
It would be nice to see the ol’ “flying squad” make a comeback just for caravans but it would cause too much of a stink.
More places to weigh the van and car along the major highways would make it easier for many.
Mention weights these days & a lot of people duck for cover.
Come on folks, you know that your overweight, do something about it.
No excuses for being overweight or camping illegally.
The problem also is that there is so few places to take your van to weigh it. Eg. Nothing in Innisfail or Tully. Take it to a weigh bridge they say? Where? Used to be able to take it to the tip but they won’t let you any more.