DEADLY CARAVAN CRASH EPIDEMIC – IS YOUR LIFE AT RISK?

This month it feels like every time I sit down to read the newspaper or flick on the TV there’s yet another horrific accident involving a caravan. What’s going on?! There’s been one life lost already this month – and that’s one too many. The month started off with a horrific crash in Townsville after a car towing a caravan jack-knifed and collided with another car. An elderly man and young woman both needed to be taken to hospital with injuries. Then, in mid-May a man was killed and his 84 year old female passenger was airlifted to hospital after his sedan collided with a 4WD towing a caravan in Gundiah. On impact the caravan rolled off the side bank and was completely destroyed, the owners of the van were fortunately unharmed, but lost everything in the accident. Less than a week later another terrifying crash involving a caravan occurred in Toowomba after the vanners swerved to avoid hitting a dog and rolled their van. The vanner’s tow vehicle was so badly wrecked the driver and passenger had to be cut from the vehicle. This caravan crash epidemic needs to end! We need to realise that towing a caravan is far different to simply driving a car; it’s far more difficult and requires many more precautions! I know our natural instinct is to try and avoid hitting animals, but swerving can lead to van sway, which can end in catastrophe. We all need a bit of a reminder to slow down and take regular breaks – safety first! As well as that, make sure you understand your set up – and make sure it’s set up right from the get go. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to ask a professional like your caravan dealer, or someone like The Ultimate Suspension, who specialise in getting you set up perfectly. If you’ve never towed before or if you just want a refresher course, get adequate training from Getabout to make sure you can handle anything you might encounter on the road.  If this unfortunate incident happens to you, look for regional towing services to get a hand. Your life and the lives of others around you are more important than getting to your destination on time, and sometimes it’s the journey that’s the worthier part.