Caravan crash provides timely warning

A UK road authority has issued a timely warning to Easter road travellers with the release of disturbing footage of a caravan roll-over on a busy UK freeway.

The CCTV video shows a caravan snaking out of control, narrowly missing other traffic on the M1 in Leicestershire, before overturning and colliding with the safety barrier.

The Highways Agency said the crash had been caused by a combination of a cross wind and the vehicle travelling too fast on a downhill section of the motorway.

Like a similarly horrific roll-over recently caught on truck cam in Australia, no-one was seriously injured in the crash.

While directly appealing to UK caravanners to play it safe over the long week-end, the warning applies equally to the many thousands of Aussie caravanners about to head off to their favourite camping spots over the Easter break.

Highways Agency Service delivery manager Andy Withington said it’s particularly important for those who perhaps haven’t towed a caravan for a few months “to take time to ensure they’re fit to tow before going on the road”.

He said some of the causes of towing incidents include overloading the caravan, a mismatch with the towing vehicle, tyres which have burst because they have not been checked or replaced where needed and poor towing technique.

The Highways Agency works closely with major UK caravan associations to promote safety messages to people who tow caravans and trailers, and Martin Spencer from the Caravan Club said accidents can be avoided by simple user checks on items like tyres and couplings, plus awareness of what causes instability.

“Make sure you have an appropriate towing vehicle, have a correctly loaded caravan or trailer and keep to sensible speeds (especially downhill), and the instability shown in the video is effectively impossible," he said.