VIDEO: Caravan overtake manoeuvre ends in crash and flip

by Chris Jefferies
Last month, with a wince, we brought you alarming footage of a caravan crashing into a grassy verge after overtaking a lorry in the UK.
Whilst that video served as a timely reminder of the dangers of overtaking in high winds, new footage from Australia drives the point even further home.
Captured on a truck’s dashboard camera, this 63-second YouTube clip (below) shows an overtake manoeuvre that ends in disaster.
The bow wave created by the truck clearly catches the speedy caravanner by surprise as the driver struggles to bring the unit under control.
Desperate braking leads to skid marks on the road and eventually a dramatic crash, as the caravan flips over onto its side, taking the car with it.
Fortunately no-one was seriously injured, but this example once again emphasises the need for patience when towing a caravan.
While overtaking can be safely executed (within the speed limits, without any side wind and on a dual-carriageway) it is often wiser to hang back and take your time.
In this particular case, the truck driver tells us that he was limited to 90kph (56mph) but even so, overtaking on the wrong side of the road with a caravan in tow is a fool’s errand at best and a nasty accident in the making at worst.
To watch the eye-opening footage, click on the player below: