Features

Tow Cars Are Safer Yet Incidents Are On The Rise

Are you a safe touer

By William Coleaman

The caravanner and motorhome driver contribute a hell of a lot of miles to the roads all over the UK and take up a lot of the road, does this lead to more incidents? In my opinion we are some of the safest and most self aware drivers behind the wheel, yet car incidents are still in the tens of thousands.

Halfords, a shop I use on quite a regular basis for my touring needs, have compiled and released quite an extensive report on road incidents over the past few years, and there are some shocking numbers in there. To view the full report you can Click Here

You do hear a lot about crashes and other road incidents involving leisure vehicles and it usually assumed that it is down the driver of the caravan or motorhome. When in reality it is more often than not mutual or the fault of the “normal car”. I have seen a lot of drivers do not know how to approach or drive safely around a caravan.

As I mentioned we are some of the safest drivers on the road, I mean we have to be in you consider what we need to be able to drive and the cost of our set up. Yet we still get branded as being “dangerous” for other drivers.

In 2017, which we now know was a the start of a golden boom for the caravan industry, UK drivers racked a whopping 254.4 billion driving miles, I’d love to know how much of that was from caravan tourism, so it is natural a lot more incidents occurred.

The report shows that the majority of incidents were caused by human error or negligence but the number of crashes due to vehicle defects would shock you.

So here are some things to consider when taking your next trip to avoid any incident or blame. I am sure most of us do this but I can help one person or set a few reminders then I’ll be happy.

Safety Checks

Getting ready to go away can be a bit of a fluster and it is very easy to miss something in the confusion. There is also a train of thought by some who feel that if it worked fine last time it will be ok this time. Please do not be that person.

Always make some time to go over everything and make sure that they are in tip top shape. Better that than finding out there is an issue doing 50 miles an hour on a motorhome or A road.

Services Regularly

In the past 12 months I have put 11,000 miles on my car and I have neglected taking it in for a service. I finally got around to it and was greeted with a rather lengthy and costly list of things that are in need of immediate attention.

Life is busy so one can be forgiven for not keeping the most attentive eye on things. In my case it was 100% my fault and I should have been a lot more on top of things, no excuses.

Always check the tyres, breaks, bulbs and anything else after extensive usage, it could be the difference needed to keep you and your family safe.

Make A List

You are never too old to go back to basics when doing your checks, especially when such a simple method can be so effective.

My basic checks include:

  • Car and caravan bulbs
  • Condition of tyres on both vehicles
  • Check brake pads and discs (if you know how to)
  • Check condition of breakaway cable
  • Check spare tyre is inflated
  • Thoroughly clean towing mirrors, dirty mirrors are a pet hate