Jeff and Jackie James, local residents, recently embarked on the road trip of a lifetime with their first caravan after years of camping.
But like many caravan enthusiasts, they were uncertain whether they had surpassed their car’s weight limit.
Nine out of 10 vehicles towing caravans were found to be exceeding their weight limit in 2022, according to Queensland Police Service data.
And according to the Caravan Trade and Industries Association of Queensland, many of these campers were completely unaware of road rules and safety.
Mr James had 30 years of towing experience under his belt when he bought his caravan, but he hadn’t done it in many years.
The James said they researched into weight limits and rules and absorbed as much knowledge as possible.
Ms James, however, said they didn’t weigh their caravan.
“… but we made sure to do quite a bit of research, as well as being careful and mindful of what we were taking,” she said.
Caravanning Queensland CEO Jason Plant said data has shown the need for road safety programs to raise awareness.
“While all RV owners and drivers have a responsibility to educate themselves on safe caravanning practices, the more we can do to support both new and seasoned drivers, the more confident and compliant they’ll become and the safer our roads will be for all road users,” he said.
In the past year, Queensland-isolated Google search trend data has shown a 190 per cent increase in searches around caravan safety, a 34 per cent increase in caravan weight searches, and a 60 per cent increase in caravan towing tips searches.
The consequences of exceeding your car’s weight limit could be fatal, Queensland police warned.
“Motorists need to be aware of their vehicle’s gross vehicle mass (GVM), their van/ trailer aggregated mass (ATM) and their combined Gross Combination Mass (GCM),” QPS senior constable Aleda Day said.
“There can be serious consequences for failing to comply with all three weights, potentially resulting in traffic crashes causing serious injury to yourself, passengers, and other motorists.
“If your vehicle and towed camper or caravan are damaged, this could leave you stranded without a vehicle.”
Mr and Ms James recently attended a safety information session at Logan where they were able to freely weigh their caravan.
Ms James said their caravan was within the weight limit, and that the session was a “fabulous service”.
