Towing advice as caravans head home from summer holidays
Police and Highways Agency Traffic Officers will be helping to make the Midlands motorways safer this weekend in an operation aimed at reducing the number of caravan-related accidents on the motorway.
Operation Velopy is organised by Central Motorway Police Group and is supported by Highways Agency, the Caravan Club and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).
A team of officers from all agencies will be on the M5 northbound Strensham Services (between junctions 8 to 7) TOMORROW FRIDAY 2 SEPTEMBER from 2pm until 9pm to offer help and advice to caravan owners.
The Highways Agency has arranged for some of their matrix information boards to display ‘Take extra care whilst towing’ messages along the north and southbound M5 in the West Midlands and South West region to remind drivers using this busy holiday route to take extra care in support of the campaign.
James Lowth, Highways Agency regional operations manager in the West Midlands, said: “Although most drivers are very responsible, incidents involving towing vehicles can cause disproportionately long delays for other road users as well as distress for their drivers and those directly involved.”
In the past six months alone, Highways Agency Traffic Officers in the West Midlands have dealt with more than 500 caravan incidents on the region’s motorways. The most common cause was burst caravan tyres, 37% were breakdowns and 44 involved a collision with another vehicle.
The causes of towing incidents include overloading the caravan or trailer, a mismatch with the towing vehicle, tyres which have burst because they have not been checked for condition and pressure and poor towing technique from drivers, such as excessive speed and not using mirrors adequately.
The Highways Agency advises anyone towing a caravan, boat or horse trailer to take some simple steps to ensure a trouble-free journey.
Advice from the Highway Agency includes:
• Carrying out a final maintenance check before setting off.
• Being aware that driving with a loaded trailer will inevitably affect the vehicle’s performance.
• Checking that the vehicle and trailer are loaded securely and weight is correctly distributed in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications.
• Making sure you are adequately covered for recovery and breakdown.
• Taking extra care when reversing.
Sergeant Dean Caswell who has led Operation Velopy on behalf of Central Motorway Police Group added: “We will have some really experienced and knowledgeable people on hand during the operation who will be examining vehicles and advising drivers throughout the day. I would urge anybody travelling through the area to take advantage of this initiative."
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