Caravan drivers urged to seek towing training as accidents rise

First responders and road safety advocates say caravan drivers should receive specialist training as the number of caravan-related accidents on Australian roads increases.

Since international travel came to a halt at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of caravans and motorhomes on Australian roads has increased significantly.

But the rise of recreational vehicles has precipitated a rise in collisions and accidents with eight people killed and dozens more seriously injured on Western Australia’s roads since 2019, according to the WA Road Safety Commission (RSC).

Albany recovery specialist Michael Collins said he used to attend a handful of caravan collisions each year, but with more vehicles on the road, the calls had become more frequent.

“There are incidents happening all the time,” he said.

“We just see a constant flow, whereas (in the past) we would have had a major incident every one, two (or) every three months.

“Now, we might see a major incident once a month.”

Driver error is a factor

Collins, who has been working on recovery between Albany and Walpole in the state’s south for three decades, said caravans now make up about 20 percent of his calls.

He said driver experience, road conditions, overweight or unbalanced load and concentration all played a role in the accidents he attended.

“The most recent was a person traveling a very short distance and unfortunately they managed to overturn the caravan,” he said.

“That could be due to the curvature of the road, realizing it was only a short distance to go and not really being 100 percent focused the whole time.”

The increase in accidents has also been noted by WA-based road safety insurer and advocacy group RAC, which has seen a 19 per cent increase in caravan-related collisions since 2021.

RAC claims, compliance and warranty manager Glen Walker said while collisions with animals were a risk, driver error was also a common cause as more people took to the road.

“We know there are more caravans on the roads every year, but certainly driver error and often a lack of preparation for departure can contribute to collisions.”

Push for more training

Walker said preparation and experience was needed to reduce accidents and called for more drivers to receive additional training.

“The RAC offers this training only to familiarize yourself with caravan towing.”

No additional license is required for people towing caravans or motor homes in Australia.

Different states and territories have their own rules about caravan towing, including speed limits.

In WA, drivers towing caravans cannot travel faster than 100km/h and must maintain certain distances between themselves and other vehicles.

Courtesy call for caravans.

The commission advises drivers to stop periodically to allow other vehicles to pass them safely.

However, Collins said he often encountered multiple caravans traveling in convoys, making it difficult for other drivers to pass them safely.

He said awareness and courtesy towards other drivers would reduce risky behavior on the road.

“You come across two or three caravans in a row and you get stuck behind them for some distance,” he said.

“The caravans could be courteous enough to have some separation so they don’t have to try to overtake a group, a block, of caravans.”

There are almost one million caravans, motorhomes and caravans registered across Australia.