Tips for Towing Your Caravan

Towing a caravan will alter the way your car performs ~ decreasing its acceleration and braking ability; and often affecting its general control. So with any new off road caravan (or towing vehicle) it’s wise to practice with a few shorter trips before attempting a long journey.

To improve your safety and that of fellow road users when towing a caravan:

• Pay particular attention to accelerating and braking ~ especially when approaching corners.
• Leave more distance than usual between yourself and the vehicle in front ~ and allow plenty of extra time and space if entering traffic.
• Allow more time and distance when overtaking other road users ~ and ensure you are well past them before moving back to the left hand side of the road again.
• Be extra careful when driving in poor weather conditions and high winds, as their impact is magnified when towing a caravan.
• Where possible, pull over regularly to allow following vehicles to overtake you.
• Because reversing with a caravan can be awkward, where possible drive out forward from a parking spot. When practicing reversing, ensure it is done in a safe environment and have someone there to help guide you.
• Ensure load distributing hitches are set up properly and that the load in the caravan is correctly distributed. This will reduce the chance of the caravan swaying.
• Be aware that swaying is more likely to occur in high winds, particularly side winds, or when passing approaching larger vehicles.
• Keep left to give overtaking vehicles as much space as possible.
• Plan plenty of rest stops to avoid the onset of fatigue ~ but remember, if you are fatigued the only cure is sleep. Falling asleep at the wheel is a very real and deadly consequence of driving when overtired. So just don’t take the risk.

Here is also an indepth article about caravan towing capacity