Extra driving test for towing?
- Monday, 29 October 2007
- 9 Comments
YES says Jean Crean
Consider this scenario: a couple arrive on site and are manhandling their caravan into position; they loose control and the van careers down the site; it rips through a neighbour's awning, dents another caravan, knocks a child over and ends up in the back of a car. It could have caused serious personal injury, possibly even a death.
You would hope, wouldn't you, if it was you who had suffered, that you could claim compensation. But what if they don't have any insurance? Caravan insurance is not compulsory, and once the caravan is detached from the car, the car's insurance does not cover it.
You may have a policy of your own you could claim on, though you could lose your no claims bonus. The only other option is to take the couple to court and sue for damages. Then, dreadful thought, what if it was your caravan that caused the havoc, and you weren't insured?
Of course, a caravan on its own is much less likely to cause damage than a car. But it can, and does, happen. Third-party caravan insurance would bring peace of mind, and since the risk is very low, it would not be expensive.
NO Says Tony Whelton
The only people with a vested interest in third-party insurance are insurers who would make money with virtually no risk of ever having to pay out. With a century of caravanning behind us, if there ever had been a need for this it would have manifested itself long ago.
As it is, in some 35 years of caravanning, it is the one subject I can honestly say I have never heard raised either by the pro-caravanning brigade or by anti-caravanners. To suggest that, with some half a million caravans out there, the time has come to make us take out third-party insurance, is stupid in my opinion.
To the best of my knowledge, when anyone is towing their caravan it is covered by the vehicle's insurance. Hence the only time that it's own third-party insurance might be required would be if it was unhitched and then rolled down a slope and injured someone or damaged their property. And in the last 100 years, how many times has this type of incident happened? So let's adopt the age old non-insurance policy of: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Reader comments
Add your commentsOctober 29 16:56
Mr. and Mrs. Hughes
Caravan drivers are very safe. To impose a test on all new drivers cannot be justified. But I strongly support caravanners taking a driving course organised by one of the Clubs. They cover road positioning, anticipation while driving, loading, caravan tyre care, noseweight and many other factors.
October 29 16:57
Colette Mortime
Should all new caravanners have to take an extra test? I think not. I do think that going on a course is helpful. I know from experience that very competent drivers can fail the B+E test, due to nerves or a picky examiner. We have an employee who is very capable when towing but has failed the test twice.
October 29 17:01
Karen Gold
My opinion on the test is that I would prefer not to do one, but anyone starting towing for the first time should do one of the Club courses. It taught us a multitude of useful reversing tips and we now reverse our van through a set of gates only two-foot wider than the van, and from a single track road!
October 29 17:02
John Pearman
I think they should do another test. The number of times I have been on
a site and cringed as another useless driver has tried to back onto a pitch or hitch up! It is embarrassing, and these kind of drivers give our hobby a bad name. Bring on the tests, there are very few who would pass with flying colours
January 06 15:58
Mike Askew
I think there should be compulsory training, not necessarily a test. This will only put people off. I would also like to see caravan dealers and car salesmen (or women!) better informed. I was through painstaking trawling of the internet that we had a good match for our car and caravan. As a HGV licence holder, towing has never been an issue for me but I can see why others are concerned and how this affects their driving standards. My wife would be happy to undertake training (as long as it's not me teaching her!) but would not wish to put herself through the pressure of another driving test.
January 08 21:54
Stuart Gardner
A towing test is fine, but someone needs to train the driver in the first place, so a course run by one of the clubs is a far better idea, simply because it covers so much more than teaching to tow and reverse. If a person was to pass a test on towing, he may well pass, but could still be a liability on the road through bad loading, or bad habits whereas a proper course covers everything
January 23 00:04
Gary Bramham
I dont think there should be a test for new drivers, but I have always believed that there should be a compulsory training course for all. I think towing is easy but that is not all you have to do, I have seen many times were someone arrive at site, unhook and push their caravan into place. if they had attended a course they wouldn't have to push. I just wonder what they do if they make a wrong turn and had to reverse down a narrow track ? I have done that a few times.
April 09 14:53
DARRAN HAYWARD
Hi, I bought my first caravan a few months ago from Nottingham and had to tow it all the way back to Hull.
Was the worst experienc of my life! Sick twice and bent my steering wheel as I was holding it toooo tight also developed a six pack in under 2 hours!!!
I was not prepared for the blowing around the motorway experience with those big lorries or the fish tail effect, was in two minds whether to unhitch and leave it!
I think basic trailer handling, what to expect and how to handle should be part of the driving test! I felt i was a danger to other road users!!! Also I think 3rd party insurance should be compulsory on all trailers!
April 29 17:16
Ryan Stephenson
Unfortunately the requirement for a test for category B killed my touring caravan business stone dead. Fact is that nobody is interested in hiring out a caravan to "give it a go" if they need to take an expensive 1hr driving test. Gradually, the 1997 regulations started to erode my client base - I had to consider whether it was worth cotinuing in a declining market and decided to pull out whilst I could get money back on the vans. This didn't happen right away - kids that have just passed their test were not permitted by me to hire a van anyway.
I should imagine it will do the same for caravanning in general in the UK. Which do you do first? Buy the van or take the test? If you buy the van then take the test you could find yourself with a useless van if you don't pass the test! If you take the test - that's quite a commitment when you haven't even tried a caravan holiday - £89 up front for a type of holiday you might not like? hmmmm....
Thing is caravanning is in competition with tent camping. Why take out a caravan which you need to pass a test for when you could take out a tent in a roof box or a trailer tent light enough to meet the DVLA requirements without a new test?