Safe Caravanning Holidays 

Ensuring that your caravan - and your tow-vehicle - are both in good condition, is essential before heading off for a holiday, but that is just one part of helping to make your trip safe and trouble-free when travelling. 

• "Caravan Inspection - Basic.pdf"      
• "Caravan Inspection - Detailed.pdf" 

We always hope that we will not be involved in any "emergency situation" on the road - read "frightening, is-this-it???, incident" - but unfortunately it can happen to anyone sometimes with tragic consequences. 

We can never know beforehand, or control, what another driver will do,or what fate can suddenly bring upon us.  However, we can foresee - within reason - what could possibly happen, and be prepared for it. Equally important, we must know how-best to react to it.   

No: 1 Priority:  Don't be the cause of an "emergency situation"!    

Also No: 1 Priority:  Don't take any "chances", if in doubt, wait!    

Also No: 1 Priority:  Don't get "caught-out", especially on the wrong side of the road!

Always drive "within the limits" of your own abilities, and those of your tow-vehicle / caravan combination.  

A combination is completely different, performance-wise and handling-wise, to just a tow-vehicle.   

The total Mass is considerably greater, meaning that the acceleration - and deceleration - rates will be noticeably slower. 

Make sure you know how your combination handles, before heading off on a trip.  Find a safe area to (legally) practise on, to get a good appreciation of the time and distance needed to accelerate to, and decelerate from, certain speeds.  Does the combination handle predictably and safely on curves, and during heavy braking? 

The CCA web-site - www.caravancouncil.com.au - has, under "Technical Articles" (on the home-page), a number of safety articles, such as:

• "Over-taking Distance - Basic.pdf"         
• "Over-taking Distance - Detailed.pdf" 

With a semi-trailer, or a 5th-Wheeler, the "coupling" is pretty much directly above the rear-axle of the prime-mover.

With a caravan, the "coupling" is quite some distance behind the rear-axle of the tow-vehicle.  This means that when the driver turns the steering wheel to go one way, the front of the caravan goes in the opposite direction.  

Wise Investments: 

• Weigh-bridge Certificate (preferably Certified) - Axle-Loading  and Ball-Loading, with the 'van fully-loaded 
• Ball-Load scale 
• Tyre pressure gauge 

If you are not 100%-certain of what tyre pressures to run, ask a tyre professional, advising them of the measured Tyre-Loading, and the full tyre specification. 

You may wish to compare these pressures, against the pressures stated on the Trailer Plate.

Drive for Recreation - not for Wreck-creation! 

Safe & Happy Travels!