It should be compulsory
It would appear some people just buy a caravan, hitch it to their car and, speed off. I live in Devon just by the A30. Every summer you can see a shed load of towing cars using the road as a race track, in the week I was passed by a car towing a caravan,
I was doing 65, he must have been doing at least 70. As with the driving test, it should be made a seperate test for caravans. If the police was to stand on a bridge over the A30, they would make a fortune nicking caravaners
Comments
-
I'm sure that many of them are probably not 'caravanners' as such but people who use a caravan perhaps just once a year with little or no knowledge of loading and limits etc.
A competence test which would not just be limited to actual driving but include other safety elements may help and would probably reduce the numbers of potentially dangerous outfits and drivers going out on the road particularly during the summer school
holiday period.0 -
What should be made compulsory is that anybody towing a trailer on the public highway should be proficient in reversing that said outfit.
A competence test would soon weed out the proficient from the dangerous. This test could include the points raised by JohnM20 in the post above.
Quite simply, if people fail those tests they have no right to endanger other people's lives by driving an outfit on the public highway.
K
0 -
They should be made to watch 'Caravanner of the year'
But I'm in agreement with a competence test, after all its a damn long unit you are in control of and many are not aware of the pitfalls and dare I say it, additional 'skills' needed to ensure safety for yourselves and other road users.
0 -
And plenty tip the vans over on the long descents, they don't see the "reduce your speed now" signs or think thats for the others.
0 -
So am I really hearing that all of you so far would be quite happy to fork out perhaps £100 or more to undertake a test, with the possibility (even if you consider it remote) that you might fail and not then be able to use your 'van until you passed??
Or are you suggesting it just for 'new' caravaners, and that YOU would be covered by 'grandfathered rights' ? The driving test has not so far solved the problem of 'young boy racers' so why expect anything different just because a person has passed a caravan
test?0 -
I was reading in The Times today that there is wait of up to four months to take your road test. Just form an orderly queue folks.
0 -
It would appear some people just buy a caravan, hitch it to their car and, speed off. I live in Devon just by the A30. Every summer you can see a shed load of towing cars using the road as a race track, in the week I was passed by a car towing a caravan,
I was doing 65, he must have been doing at least 70. As with the driving test, it should be made a seperate test for caravans. If the police was to stand on a bridge over the A30, they would make a fortune nicking caravanersWrite your comments here.. CC should give all members a sticker ' CC member towing ' that would identify any offenders wouldn't it
0 -
It would appear some people just buy a caravan, hitch it to their car and, speed off. I live in Devon just by the A30. Every summer you can see a shed load of towing cars using the road as a race track, in the week I was passed by a car towing a caravan,
I was doing 65, he must have been doing at least 70. As with the driving test, it should be made a seperate test for caravans. If the police was to stand on a bridge over the A30, they would make a fortune nicking caravanersWrite your comments here.. CC should give all members a sticker ' CC member towing ' that would identify any offenders wouldn't it
Write your comments here...a course in toilet flushing & general hygiene wouldn't be a bad idea either for caravaners too
0 -
Every time there is an accident involving a caravan loads of people jump on the speeding bandwagon even if there are no facts pulished to support their theory. If speeding were the main/only reason for accidents why wouldn't the French motorways be littered
with caravan wrecks, after all they can legally tow at speeds up to 80mph.0 -
Every time there is an accident involving a caravan loads of people jump on the speeding bandwagon even if there are no facts pulished to support their theory. If speeding were the main/only reason for accidents why wouldn't the French motorways be littered
with caravan wrecks, after all they can legally tow at speeds up to 80mph.I think what they mean is driving at a speed inappropriate to the conditions, not faster than the speed limit allows.
0 -
I didn't know the Radio Times was that informative CY !!
THE Times. Just because I think Attila the Hun was a pinko liberal doesn't mean I read the Daily Mail.
0 -
I thought that people who passed their tests after a certain year ?1990 something were required to sit a towing test before they could tow anything behind them? Whether it be a trailer, horsebox or caravan, also they needed to sit a test before they could
drive a motor home. I know youngsters who have had to sit tests in order to tow horsebox etc. My licence let me tow but I had no experience, I booked lessons before I went behind the wheel to tow - common sense. Unfortunately you will always get people
who know better and speed no matter what they are driving or what the road conditions are - and accidents will never be avoided.0 -
I thought that people who passed their tests after a certain year ?1990 something were required to sit a towing test before they could tow anything behind them? Whether it be a trailer, horsebox or caravan, also they needed to sit a test before they could
drive a motor home. I know youngsters who have had to sit tests in order to tow horsebox etc. My licence let me tow but I had no experience, I booked lessons before I went behind the wheel to tow - common sense. Unfortunately you will always get people
who know better and speed no matter what they are driving or what the road conditions are - and accidents will never be avoided.If you passed your test after 1/1/097(or 98?) you can tow a trailer, but you have to watch that the total max weight isn't more than 3500kg (bit more to it .... but that's the gist) and the car is as heavy or heavier than the trailer, that's why the youngsters
you know HAD to pass a B&E test to tow the hweavy horse box with daddy's Range Rover. You can also drive a motor home as long as it's gross weight isn't more than 3500kg hence loads of MH are plated to 3500 even though they could be rated much more.If you wanted lessons before you towed something, that's up to you ...... if you've no common sense & need lessons in it. At 30yr old I was confident enough to put a small caravan on the back of my car, load my family into the car & set off ........ IHMO
I already had enough common sense.0 -
What, like the many hundreds of caravan club members I see every year not checking their nose weight? "Oh it's okay, we pack everything in the same place" Or the same members who bring half their house and the car is clearly extremely over weight? And lots
more shocking things that I see on sites all around the country.These are members that have very obviously been doing this for decades, but then, that's why they know best. Don't just pick on the newer towers, look at yourselves aswell.
0 -
Of course the competence test would also include a Caravan inspection. Failure would be automatic if the Knickers in the knicker cupboard were not colour co-ordinated.
Write your comments here...
0 -
Inspection of the knicker drawer, now that should have been a must on the Caravanner of the year show.
0 -
I have better things to do when out in the van than to check others loading habits etc., anyway I don't carry enough data in my head to know everyones noseweight limits etc. What I do see when away is loads of people having a good time and in the main doing it safely (sorry if thats a generalisation). I don't see the carriageways littered with caravan wreckage so am personally content that the vast majority are getting it right
PS no comments about my knicker draw please
0 -
I thought that people who passed their tests after a certain year ?1990 something were required to sit a towing test before they could tow anything behind them? Whether it be a trailer, horsebox or caravan, also they needed to sit a test before they could
drive a motor home. I know youngsters who have had to sit tests in order to tow horsebox etc. My licence let me tow but I had no experience, I booked lessons before I went behind the wheel to tow - common sense. Unfortunately you will always get people
who know better and speed no matter what they are driving or what the road conditions are - and accidents will never be avoided.If you passed your test after 1/1/097(or 98?) you can tow a trailer, but you have to watch that the total max weight isn't more than 3500kg (bit more to it .... but that's the gist) and the car is as heavy or heavier than the trailer, that's why the youngsters
you know HAD to pass a B&E test to tow the hweavy horse box with daddy's Range Rover. You can also drive a motor home as long as it's gross weight isn't more than 3500kg hence loads of MH are plated to 3500 even though they could be rated much more.If you wanted lessons before you towed something, that's up to you ...... if you've no common sense & need lessons in it. At 30yr old I was confident enough to put a small caravan on the back of my car, load my family into the car & set off ........ IHMO
I already had enough common sense.Thats a bit of a sweeping statement about no common sense. Are you saying that people who attend training have no common sense? Or should it be the other way around?
0 -
Personally, I think a good few could do with a "life competency" test, let along towing! And don't get me started on how competent some are to bring up the next generation! Common sense seems to get diluted every so often, and as with other aspects of life,
towing and driving sensibly don't come natural to a few, young or old!0 -
Thats a bit of a sweeping statement about no common sense. Are you saying that people who attend training have no common sense? Or should it be the other way around?
I was just following on from your sweeping statement .... IMHO I had enough common sense
to tow without extra lessons
0
Or is this suggested test just for everyone else? 
