Risky caravan overtaking ends in tears
Dramatic dashcam footage of caravan roll-over highlights dangers of overtaking a road trainOvertaking a heavy-duty, extra long truck on a highway with a big caravan in tow is fraught with danger, with many things that can go wrong if you don't remain patient and proceed with extreme caution, while keeping a few safety tips in mind.
In fact, there's a strong case to think twice before ever considering passing a fast-moving road train on a narrow road when towing a van!
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A couple of caravanners travelling through rural Western Australia learnt this the hard way recently when they destroyed their caravan after clipping a truck during an overtaking manouevre on a relatively busy bitumen highway.
The caravan rollover occurred in early April on a single lane stretch of the Great Eastern Highway in Mount Palmer, between Yellowdine and Coolgardie.
Judging by the video posted on the Dash Cam Owners Australia Facebook page, the driver of the caravan rig swiftly overtakes the Kenworth road train, before pulling back in to the left lane a little too quickly and clipping the front of the truck.
After losing control, the Ford Ranger ute towing the tandem axle New Age caravan narrowly avoids two oncoming motorcycles before the caravan flips onto its roof and is destroyed.
The video includes separate footage of the caravan passing the right side of the big Kenworth before it sways and flips over, and a photo of the upright tow vehicle alongside the disintegrated van.
“Caravan tried to overtake a road train as traffic was coming over the crest of the hill but panicked and clipped truck on way back into the lane,” Dash Cam Owners Australia said on social media. No-one was seriously injured during the accident, "just shock and bruises”.
According to a 7News report, "the 57-year-old male driver of the Ford Ranger was issued a traffic infringement notice for overtaking when it was unsafe to do so".
It was also reported the 74-year-old male passenger in the tow vehicle was taken to hospital as a precaution.
The heart-thumping incident is the latest 'caravan carnage' caught on camera, either during or after the roll-over.
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