Safe Driving - Towing a Caravan
Hundreds of caravans each year take to the UK's roads to experience the British summer time in an individual way. With hundreds of people turning to the caravan scene every year what do you need to know before hooking your caravan up and setting off in search of your ideal holiday destination?
Before you even consider hooking up your newly purchased caravan be sure to check your license against the weight of the caravan you will be towing. This is to make sure that the license you hold will allow you to tow the weight of the caravan legally. Towing a caravan that exceeds the weight limits set on your license can void your car insurance and lead to fines and penalty points on your license.
The next thing to check is that the caravan and the car that will be towing are in good condition. Also check that the vehicle you will be towing the caravan with is capable of towing a weight equivalent to that of the caravan. This will reduce the risk of accident whilst towing the caravan which means you can hold onto that NCB and carry on receiving cheap car insurance.
Once you have connected the caravan to the car make sure that all the lights are working on the back of the caravan. It is illegal to drive any vehicle on the road with faulty lights. Most police officers will give you a warning but be aware that they are perfectly within their rights to fine you and even issue penalty points for a first offence as it is your responsibility to check the lights.
Make sure that you have packed the caravan carefully before you set off from anywhere in your caravan. Make sure that you have raised any stabilising struts, turned off and secured the gas bottle so it is safe for travel. Be sure to secure all loose items in the caravan to avoid breakages whilst in transit that could damage your shiny new caravan. Be sure to pack all heavy items in the caravan over the axel as this will give you better stability during transit. Finally check that you have no objects protruding from the caravan as again this is can be an offence treated with a fine and even addition of penalty points to your license increasing car insurance premiums.
To make life easier for yourself you must fit extending side mirrors to both sides of your vehicle. This will allow you to see past the caravan and keep an eye on what is happening on the road behind.
If you can follow the guidelines set out in this article then getting started with a caravan can be an easy and enjoyable pass time. As long as you take into account that driving with a caravan can be very different to driving your vehicle without the caravan you can normally avoid accident. By giving more room to other traffic, allowing greater stopping distances and removing hard acceleration/braking you can stay out of trouble and keep that cheap car insurance rewarded from your years of NCB.
