Focus
Truck Friendly Caravan Road Safety Program
W
ith more RV and Caravan drivers on our regional roads and the large disparity between the ‘many’ laws which must be adhered to by the transport sector but seem non-existent for non-commercial drivers who are often pulling the same size/weight; obviously, problems are going to arise. Added to this is the difference in demographics. The holidaymakers on one hand… the quiet Australians who have worked hard and deserve to enjoy our country at their leisure and the transport sector who perform a ‘safety’ on every level regulated job under high-pressure to obtain a profit or keep their boss happy. This is, however, where the ‘similarity’ between both groups becomes most evident. I don’t think you would ever hear of someone in the transport industry ‘not’ helping a grey nomad if they were in trouble? Likewise, the grey nomads, factoring in the
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WATM • October 2020
‘there is the clown in every circus and we have them in the transport industry too. The grey nomads, in general, want to do the right thing by the transport industry. They just don’t have easy and common sense access to the information. So enter, Queensland caravaner – Ken Wilson. In 2016, Ken started lobbying Governments, National and State caravan industry associations, heavy transport industry bodies, and companies for support to help provide more education for the caravanning and RV owners. From this grew the privately funded ‘Truck Friendly Caravan Road Safety Program’. “There was very limited free education to help both new and experienced caravan and RV owners on general caravan set up, safety and importantly how to interact with other road users including the heavy transport industry,” says Ken.
“We need to remove the ‘us and them’ mentality that currently exists on our highways. As a caravanner myself, I love the lifestyle, however, I have seen many incidents involving caravans, RVs, and trucks on our highways and urban streets that have put lives at risk. Many have been caused by drivers just not understanding how to work with other road users. According to NTI’s Major Accident Investigation 2020 Report, 80% of fatal accidents, involving both cars and trucks, saw the car was at fault. In non-fatal crashes, cars were at fault 39% of the time. “Many people today follow the dream of travelling around Australia or going on holidays towing a caravan or driving an RV. This can sometimes mean those behind the wheel have little or no experience in towing a large vehicle on our highways. There are also limited sources of non-sales based caravan safety advice. Whilst drivers may
