RV Safe targets clueless caravanners

A government-funded program designed to reduce caravan-related accidents is ramping up its 'caravan newbie' safety message via a series of informative Youtube videos.

Over the past 12 months the RV Safe initiative has produced 17 short educational videos covering important but often misunderstood caravan and RV safety-related topics including the dangers of overtaking, the use of towing mirrors, sharing the road with trucks, caravan reversing, dealing with trailer sway, and the often confusing towing weight definitions.

Future videos are expected to cover other on-the-road RV safety topics such as UHF radio communication, roadside rest stops, and licensing.

Supported by the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia and backed by government funding of $1.1 million, RV Safe was launched in late-2019 as "an education and awareness program aimed to make drivers of every kind of recreational vehicle safer on our roads".

"The RV Safety Awareness Project aims to target areas of risk that are specific to RV travellers and educate these road users to try and reduce incidents and encourage consistent and compliant behaviour on our roads," it says on the RV Safe website.

The latest video posted on the RV Safe Youtube channel covers just about everything you need to know about trailer brakes and how to use them, while another recently posted video provides some helpful advice for RV travellers wanted to towing a car behind a motorhome.

With the number of registered recreational vehicles in Australia soaring past 800,000 during the COVID-19 'caravan boom', and caravan-related crashes remaining a serious issue, some experts are calling for compulsory education and training before being allowed to tow a caravan weighing up to 4500kg for the first time, or the introduction of a caravan towing licence.