Highways England joined forces with leading towing and
safety organisations including The Camping and
Caravanning Club and Central Motorway Police Group.
The event followed the launch of a national safety
campaign by Highways England earlier this year that
sought to raise awareness among motorists to check their
vehicles before setting off.
There are around 5,000 per year incidents every year
involving caravans or personal trailers, which equated to
around 13 incidents per day in 2015.
In addition, almost half of all breakdowns are caused by
simple mechanical problems which could be avoided with
simple checks and nearly a quarter are caused by tyre
problems. Meanwhile, more than 22 motorists broke down
each day during July and August last year because they
had run out of fuel.
Highways England Safety manager Wayne Norris said:
Safety is our top priority and we’re pleased that we
had so many people coming along to speak to us while we
were at the event.
It was a great opportunity for us to meet people that
were taking their caravans or trailers away on holiday
this summer and offer them pointers on how to stay safe
whilst towing.
Technical specialists from the Camping and Caravanning
Club were also present to show road users how to
correctly load their caravans and trailers before setting
off.
Technical Manager at the Camping and Caravanning Club,
Ian Hewlett said:
The event was on one of the busiest days of the year
and we had many people speaking to us over the day.
We’re pleased to be working with Highways England to
raise awareness amongst people towing and this event
was a great way for us to speak to people towing
caravans or trailers.
Those stopping off at the services were also able to
learn more about Highways England and how it manages the
safety of motorists and controls traffic following
incidents. There was also advice about driving on smart
motorways along with information about major structural
repair schemes in the Midlands region.
