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What is it with caravans?

Most days i leave work to hear on the travel update on the radio that an accident or delay due to overtuned caravan. One on the M5 today.

They seem frequent, what is going on? what is the cause of this? I must say when i have been travelling on the motorway i see some towing that must be doing 70mph. Its beginning to worry me. If you are loaded correctly with light winds and doing the correct speed surely you are very safe? Or are we all one tow from disaster?

I would of thought that any overturned caravan accident has to be at fault somehow. They dont just flip over do they.

Caravans are basically fairly stable when towed correctly. Its not even about speed really. Its usually about a driver - not necessarily the one doing the towing.

You can turn it over by loading it badly, failing to plan ahead, forgeting its there etc. Equally you can turn it over swerving to avoid some numpty thats just pulled out in front of you.

When I was a kid our van had quite a bad snake after being overtaken by a lorry, it was terrifying, we were all over 3 lanes, luckily it didnt flip but now any tiny wobble & my stomach drops.

We've just returned from Devon & noticed how the ruts in the motorway lanes really wobble the van & we're amazed at how many vans overtook us really fast.

Listening to a spokesman from Devon and Cornwall police on Radio Devon last week in a discussion about Caravan safety etc.

He reported that there had been 16 accidents in the last year in the force area directly involving caravans.

There investigations had revealed over half were due to excess speed and the common denominator was that most had occurred on downhill stretches of the A30.A38 AND M5.

Dave

We travelled to Devon this year did you see the ruts in the road caused by the lorries.

They really did pull the van and car around. You wait next year road works reparing them.

 do pigs have wings!!!!!!!!

We retired to North Devon early this year.

We travel up to Bristol once a week to visit my elderly mother.

Our journey takes us down the A361 and onto the M5 at junction 27, we leave the motorway at junction 20.

These journeys are either on a Friday or Saturday.

You can imagine the huge number of vans we see and in that time over that stretch we have seen 4 or 5 vans overturned and approx 10-15 on the hard shoulder with punctures to van tyres.

My major concern is the speed of a very large number of outfits

We travel at 70 to 75mph on the M5 [before anyone comments yes we do break the speed limit] but  we find lots of outfits passing us at this speed. I am convinced a large number of these drivers "forget" they have a van on the back, lets face it cars are so much more powerful than years gone by.

Another concern is the very high percentage who tow without extension mirrors, when coming up behind them if I can't see their mirrors they obviously can't see me!

They seem to be the ones who make the last minute decision to pull out and overtake [as if doing it blindly and they are!]

Dave

its a wonder there wasnt an overturned van on the ouse bridge m62 goole yesterday. i was steady away 65 solo ready to turn off at next exit , half a mile away when a super hero with a discovery and van royce , private plates etc shot past me, downhill 75 + , nice little snake going on as well.

Quote: Originally posted by Jason Neville on 13/9/2010

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I would of thought that any overturned caravan accident has to be at fault somehow. They dont just flip over do they.

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Jason - just a small point - it should be -

"I would have thought........."

Pedantic you may say. Lazy (and incorrect) use of English I say.

"I would have thought........."

Pedantic you may say. Lazy (and incorrect) use of English I say.

Quote: Originally posted by michael on 13/9/2010

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]Jason - just a small point - it should be -

"I would have thought........."

Pedantic you may say. Lazy (and incorrect) use of English I say.

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Quote: Originally posted by Angus1215 on 13/9/2010

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Quote: Originally posted by michael on 13/9/2010

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]Jason - just a small point - it should be -

"I would have thought........."

Pedantic you may say. Lazy (and incorrect) use of English I say.

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let's not be rude.

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Now, Nowm girrrllls !    Let's not be rude.

unless your superior and intelligent.     like wot i is. !!             LOL

Nice to see we have someone marking our posts and patronising us for any bad grammar, I'm suprised he didn't add red crosses and put "see me" at the bottom.

Quote: Originally posted by Jason Neville on 13/9/2010

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I would of thought that any overturned caravan accident has to be at fault somehow. They dont just flip over do they?

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