“Travelling with a caravan, camper trailer or boat can come with additional risk, and often requires a different type of driving,” said Road Safety Commissioner, Adrian Warner.
“There are a lot of people out there with a lack of safe towing knowledge and we know heavy and poorly secured loads can result in crashes and rollovers on our roads.”
The Caravan Industry Association of Western Australia says caravan and camper-trailer sales have peaked significantly in the last few months, due largely to border closures and the increase in intrastate travel.
“I urge all road users who are towing a load this holiday period to ensure they are adhering to safe towing practices,” said Mr Warner.
“In particular, I encourage any new caravan or camper trailer owners to undergo training in safe towing to ensure you are meeting all the necessary requirements.
“There is a vast amount of resources available to you, including the Caravan Industry Association’s National Recreational Vehicle Towing Guide, so please educate yourself and help keep our roads safe,” he said.
Top road safety tips for towers:
- Be sure you know the legal load limit for your vehicle and your load is well secured.
- Add 200kg to the weight shown on the vehicle licence paper to allow for bedding, travelling gear, stores and equipment.
- The legal speed limit outside a built-up area, unless otherwise signposted, for a vehicle towing a load is 100 km/h.
- Vehicles towing a caravan or trailer must drive at least 60 metres behind heavy vehicles or other towing vehicles, unless overtaking.
- Check your rear vision mirror regularly to see if traffic is building up behind you. If you are holding up traffic, pull over and stop when it is safe to do so.
- Ensure your towing vehicle and load are road worthy and remember to keep up to date with regular services and maintenance.
- If you are towing a load wider than your vehicle you must have towing mirrors in place.
Those travelling long distances should consult the Main Roads WA website for rest area locations in each region, and should also be aware of rules regarding stopping at heavy vehicle rest areas and 24 hour rest areas.
Visit the Road Safety Commission website for further information on safe towing.
