DRIVE TO SURVIVE

Caravan safety is crucial. Here at Caravan World it’s the most important issue we deal with, especially with so many new owners planning to hit the road as soon as lockdowns are lifted. Anecdotal evidence points to an increased number of accidents, but the truth is that we don’t have accurate Australia-wide figures on the number of caravan injury related crashes — the information isn't documented in some states as a separate statistic.

Evidence from insurance companies suggests 8 percent of caravans are involved in some sort of moving accident each year — still, that figure includes minor incidents like clipping a post when backing into a site. In NSW, between 2014 and 2018 it is estimated there were 239 crashes involving a caravan. These crashes resulted in 12 deaths and 120 serious injuries. While this might seem lower than the bad news would suggest, any accident is one too many so there is a real need for safety awareness and education for all of us caravan mob.

Safe driving comes from experience, but good advice and learning a few tips along the way will always help. For example, if the estimation of the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) that 50 percent of vans and tow vehicles are