Should caravan owners undergo compulsory towing education?

[Vik351]

Usually the only thing that is negatively affected by improper use of the urinal is one's shoes... and I thought that in context the "Gestapo" would be those limiting free discussion?

Just saying...

So why do you think they used to click their heels...???

vik...

[dream4red]

I actually won a tow ed course when we first started caravanning. It was really valuable to me and I do tow the van with HWMBO when he wants a break. I can reverse, if absolutely necessary, but prefer not to. I do not want the state involved in getting another thing added to my licence, because they charge so much extra money for the privilege of having anything extra listed.

I do worry about the people who are new to vanning after retirement. They seem to spend up big on huge vans with equally huge 4x4 to pull them and have little experience with towing anything bigger than a box trailer. They seem to be accidents waiting to happen.

But what about the people who have towed various trailers and trucks all their lives, especially the people from the farming or trucking communities?
It would be an insult to these people to demand an extra licence test be completed. I do like the idea of the sales companies offering some training as part of the price, until you watch them in their yards with the vans...cowboys do come to mind, after some of the things we have seen the staff at our local yard do with caravans.
So no Lance, there is no right or wrong answer here. Some people could do with a lot of training and others it would be wrong to insist upon it.

[SteveW]

I think a physics lesson would be more to the point. IMHO a Caravan is the most unstable vehicle on the road because of the physics involved - a heavy, and wind exposed object with a relatively unrestrained fulcrum. (Not knocking caravans BTW - I used to be one and a happy one at that.) However, there are well documented investigations into caravan accidents caused by a combination of cross wind, overtaking heavy vehicles, and incorrectly balanced load.

[Newcastle George]

Heavy vehicles don't have to be overtaking to initiate sway, just approaching from the rear. I experienced same while towing a horse float which contained a large mare from Tamworth to Kingaroy. I had to keep my eye on the rear vision mirror for approaching heavy vehicles so that i could reduce speed until they overtook.

George

[native pepper]

Reckon this is touchy subject and agree with both sides of the discussion, to a degree. There's a huge difference between towing a box trailer, even if it is dual wheels, compared to towing a van.

Rather than have extra licensing, which can be a pain in the arse for most people. Maybe van manufacturers could be legislated to give new buyers a couple of lessons in how to load, connect, back and tow a van. The amount of travelling we do, we tend to see a van crash regularly and most of them are avoidable. Inattention seems to be one of the big factors in van accidents in my experience, because most times there is no other vehicle involved.

When driving road trains always hated coming up to a van because very few knew how to handle such a big long rig passing them, just like lots of car drivers when you go to pass, they speed up. Which creates a bigger vortex between the vehicles and draws the van into the trailers, or pushes them off the road. As many vans are badly balanced and overloaded, without a lot of experience, most have no idea how to control the sudden swaying and change of direction of their van. Most hit the brakes, or pull on the steering wheel and that's it, they are gone.

Even today, having driven just about every type and size of vehicle, after having a van for a couple of trips, would never have one again. When a van crashes, 9 out of 10 times, they are complete right offs. Yet they are a convenient way to travel and for buses, you need heavy licenses, which most don't want to have to get.

If they were to be licensed, then it should be an articulated licence, as that's what they are. However how to go about it to suit everyones, is a mystery. My vote is for don't know, but it would be nice to be able to reduce the number of van crashes, simply because of the effect it has on the owners, when everything they have is now a pile of junk scattered across the country side. You really feel for them when you come across a van accident and their worldly possessions are crushed and scattered, not much you can do to help, other than offer to help them pick up the pieces.

[Bow]

I have a HC Licence, why would I need to do compulsory towing education .

Bushtracker take new owners for a drive as part of the hand over.

[Toolman]

I have a MC licence, but no caravan

[T1 Terry]

For my bit, I can't see there should be a dividing line between types of vehicle when it comes to licencing. If it is a car towing a box trailer then it stays under the 4.5tonne category and no further licencing is required, but if the combined weight exceeds 4.5 tonne then it moves into the heavy vehicle classes. What makes a combination of a 4.5 tonne loaded tow vehicle and a 3.5 tonne caravan not an 8 tonne heavy combination? If I need an M/C licence to drive my rigid Ford Cargo and tow any sort of trailer yet the combined weight would be less than 8 tonne why shouldn't any vehicle combination exceeding 4.5 tonne require a skilled operator who has passed the required knowledge and operator performance testing?
If you have the skill level then it would not be a big ask to demonstrate it to a testing officer, surely only those without the required skill would be at all worried. It would stop the problem of all caravan users being tarred with the same brush, so why are so many against the idea?
It is only a matter of time before all caravans and motorhomes will be directed across the weigh bridge system so proper training on how to load and secure the load to keep the axle weights legal would save a some savage fines at least, maybe save a few serious accidents as well.
Once these things become law the RV industry will be put on notice, smarten up your act or face the consequences, either big bother leaning on them or the consumer voting with their wallets sending them to the wall.
Like it or not, all have to share the same roads, is it that much to ask for a skill level to be taken for granted when you see any vehicle sharing the road with you?..... or are the same people suggesting truck licencing is an excessive requirement and a car licence should be all that is required to operate any vehicle combination?

[Barboots]

Exactly Terry.

[GoinBush]

I have a MC licence, but no caravan

I have a HC licence and no box trailer


I agree with T1Terry