Every time I tow the caravan onto a site, I find people staring as if a woman should not be driving with her husband in the passenger seat. Why not - I sit on the left when he is driving.
First of all, the breakdown services are there for genuine breakdowns, not a get you home service. I know of more than one occasion when the breakdown truck was called because the regular driver was unwell and the 'other half' would not tow. That is selfish and puts up everyone else's cost of breakdown cover.
Members of the Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravan Club will be able to find details of towing courses through their club. I thoroughly enjoyed learning to reverse properly - even though I had been towing for nearly ten years by the time I went along!!! These courses do not lead to the new test but will reduce your insurance premium.
If you passed your car driving test after 1997 you need to take an additional driving test with your caravan. The test is explained on http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022521.Tests are generally carried out at the HGV test centre where there is room to manouvre the outfit away from the traffic. Most HGV driver training centres also offer caravan/trailer training to meet the requirements of the new test.
With two drivers it is much easier to take the caravan on longer trips. The sensible way of working is to think in terms of "tacho hours" http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?r.l1=1081597476&r.l2=1082103262&r.l3=1084756056&r.s=tl&topicId=1082144445. Keeping it really simple, each driver drives for a maximum of two hours, then stop for a comfort break, change drivers and carry on again. It is much safer than leaving one driver to do all the work, and get far too tired to be safe on the road.
Remember that towing a caravan behind your car needs more concentration, and whether you are towing alone or with a "co-pilot" breaks are essential to avoid becoming over-tired and causing accidents.
Enjoy your caravanning holiday - wherever it takes you - and stay safe on the roads through sensible planning and the right training.
No comments:
Post a Comment