by Dan Hughes
Are caravanners really the most dangerous thing on the road?
Previously, we showed you how a recent survey by the AA revealed why Caravanners are the most despised drivers on UK roads. And now another study has shown that caravan drivers are the least popular road users in the country. It seems as though the angst towards caravan drivers will never cease… well, apparently not until we travel at the ‘correct’ speed limit that is.
A survey, conducted by Your Legal Friend questioned 2,000 road users, with just nine per cent – that’s 180 motorists – agreeing that caravan drivers were competent on the road.
As we all know, the maximum speed that a car towing a caravan can be driven is 60mph on UK motorways and dual carriageways, providing no lower speed limit has been enforced, so what’s the problem? Is it possibly that other drivers simply don’t understand restrictions imposed when towing a caravan – or simply that, by abiding by the rules of the road, we are seen as an easy target?
Hugh Bladon from the Alliance of British Drivers has urged car drivers to be patient with caravan drivers, stating: “I don’t think car drivers towing a caravan are any worse than other motorists. There are an awful lot of problems with other drivers – especially ones who get impatient with caravans and then take risks which can cause an accident,” he said.
On a brighter note, the poll also revealed that one in three caravanners think they are the country’s best drivers, with 61 per cent of caravan owners feeling happy on the road whilst half of them feel relaxed behind the wheel when towing.
What do you think about the results of the survey? Are we really as incompetent as we’ve been made out to be?
