Bathurst’s three-day caravan event well worth the weight
Caravanners in the Bathurst region will be offered free road safety and caravanning advice at a three-day caravan weighing event in December.
Transport for NSW will host the safety information days to educate caravanners about correctly calculating their caravan’s weight, how to load their caravan for even weight distribution, safe driving tips while towing, and ways to reduce the risk of being involved in a crash.
Transport for NSW Regional Director West Alistair Lunn said that as caravanning grew in popularity, so did the need to ensure caravans were operating safely.
“Simple things like adding a toolbox to the back of the van, popping a kayak on the roof or travelling with full water tanks can cause the caravan, tow vehicle or combination to become overweight or non-compliant and may increase the risk of a crash,” Mr Lunn said.
“An incorrectly loaded caravan can severely impact your braking capacity and also lead to snaking, swaying and loss of control of your caravan and vehicle.
“We welcome the owners of registered caravans to come forward in Bathurst to learn some vital tips that could save lives.”
The three-day caravan weighing event will be held at the Mount Panorama pit complex in Bathurst from Friday 8 December to Sunday 10 December.
“Driving while towing a caravan is a different experience to normal driving and requires a higher level of knowledge and skill, a need for greater stopping distances, and consideration of environmental factors such as high winds, wet roads and uneven surfaces,” Mr Lunn said.
“As part of our free weighing days, owners can learn the actual aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of their caravan, actual gross trailer mass (GTM), actual gross vehicle mass (GVM), actual ball weight and actual gross combination mass (GCM) of their caravan and vehicle.
“These days are a great opportunity to learn more about your caravan and more about safe driving, for the benefit of everyone on the road.”
Interested caravanners can register for their free session via the Bathurst caravan weighing day website.
More information on safe caravanning is available on the Transport for NSW website.