Quote: Originally posted by MadMum1972 on 31/7/2013 I have never been to Scotland and would love to try there some time but the journey puts me off. The children were very good - it is me who gets fed up stuck in traffic, lol!
Scotland is lovely. The further up north you get, the less traffic there is on the roads. And traffic jams are rare after Glasgow. Try Dumfries and Galloway for starters, you will love it there.
I've not read the full post but I would agree with most that the fact that you know where you went wrong you now have the ability not to make the same mistake again, also I have found that car transporter lorry's are the worst for causing instability when following them, and you need to leave extra space between them and you to avoid this, good luck and I hope you conquer your fear.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will bring you down to their level then beat you on experience.
Land Rover Freelander 2 & 2014 Lunar Quasar 554
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Even the best of us find ourselves in an awkward spot now and then. It's understandable this could frighten a driver but I wouldn't let one bad experience put you off what could be a lifetime of enjoyable caravanning.
I hope you'll update this post in a couple of weeks and tell us you drove down to Devon & and a lovely holiday with your caravan.
Two very near misses in 9 years for me, Two very valuable lessons learnt and never repeated. Any caravaner or driver who has never had a near miss or improved over time through experiences, is either kidding themselves on or Jeremy Clarkson.
we came to 'van's from tents too, now on our 2nd 'van ,I have experienced snakeing twice in the 4 years or so we've been towing both times passing slower moving high sided lorries and yes it's scary but you did the right thing ,don't let it put you off towing
you could try fitting something like a 'bulldog' anti-snake bar type stabiliser to your outfit ,it might help you get your confidence back
------------- no tin tent outings booked as yet ,just another cruise in Sept' booked so far
Don't worry, these things happen, especially if you have lorries creating a pressure wave in front of their windscreens/radiator grilles (the air has to be displaced to the sides and over the roof) combined with strong cross-winds.
When you get the car passed the front of the lorry but the caravan is still alongside it, that's often when the worst of the wobble can happen due to the air being pushed out of the way of the front of the lorry and displaced directly into the front and front-left side of your caravan.
Just take your time overtaking, no need to accelerate hard passed a lorry, just do it a speed that feels safe.
Us female tow-ers are few in number, but don't let this one incident stop you from doing something you've loved up till now. Your kids will be miserable if you sell up and so will you because you'll feel like it's beaten you. I know you worried that you put them in danger, but it's extremely unlikely that a snake would actually result in an accident unless the driver panics, which you didn't.
Get back out there and enjoy the rest of the summer
Post last edited on 02/08/2013 20:56:26
------------- 2015 - our 1st year of caravanning with a new baby. Can't wait! :)
MadMum1972
We all makes mistakes at sometime.
I am an advanced driver and assess peoples driving and it is good to here that you reflected on the incident and understood how you ended up in that situation, most drivers would just blame others or even the rules of the road, rather than themselves.
You had a big knock to your confidence and it would be a shame to give up something you enjoy doing.
I am sure an hour or two with an instructor will help build that confidence and get you back towing.
Good Luck.
I have had a few nasty tank slappers in my days before knowing how to load the caravan. Did you have a stabilizer on the outfit, I know they don't stop the snaking but they do help a great deal. It would be a shame to give up after one incident, the only way to combat the fear is go out for a trial run, after all you did the next 20 miles without any problems and now you know what to expect if you go faster than you feel safe, my thoughts are , when the caravan is on the back, I am in no rush to arrive.