Should clubs and sites issue warnings to dangerously mismatched outfits?

• Thursday, 20 March 2008
• Victoria Heath
• 3 Comments

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We've all seen some dangerously matched outfits on the road, but should warnings be issued to these reckless drivers?

NO SAYS DUNCAN BRYDER

Both the main clubs, and I’m sure the smaller ones as well, already give advice about outfit matching and the consequences of ignoring it, so I don’t think that there’s any more they can do. It certainly isn’t for the wardens and site managers – or anyone else in charge – to go around telling people that their outfits are mismatched.
I can remember reading in the August 08 issue about an Avondale Dart 630/Ford Focus C-Max outfit that had toured the UK to prove that you don’t need a big car to tow a six-berth van. I can just imagine the owner’s reactions if some busybody told him his outfit was mismatched. In fact, I doubt whether many folks have the knowledge to be able to look at an outfit and say with any certainty that it’s mismatched.
We shouldn’t forget that the police are now more au fait with caravans and the chances of being pulled over are far greater than a few years ago. Who’s to say that what appears to be well matched actually is? No one can be certain. Some people don’t stay within the limits, and it’s these people who are likely to tell you, in no uncertain terms, what to do with your advice.

YES SAYS NICOLA DOBSON

There are few sights more upsetting than an upturned caravan on the motorway. Most of these disasters are the result of snaking. The causes have been researched, yet we are still without any conclusions. However, it is generally accepted that a well-matched outfit (the towing vehicle is heavier than the van) is less prone to snaking.
The caravan, fully laden, should ideally be around 85 per cent of the kerbweight of the car. However, many caravanners are simply not aware of this, and what’s worse, hold misconceptions about towcars. Many think ‘a 4x4 will tow anything’, or ‘my car’s small, but it’s a 2-litre diesel and pulls easily’. This doesn’t make them safe.
I’ve often seen obviously mismatched outfits on sites and I’m convinced that the owners of these are unaware of the danger. Site managers must see them regularly. Surely, it would be a service to the caravanner to point out, politely, that their outfit is inherently unsafe, and hand them a leaflet explaining the recommendations and why they exist. The clubs, especially, are in an ideal position to do this. It would add to the safety of the people concerned and everyone else they put at risk on the road.