TRUCKIES VS CARAVANNERS
Myth busting
GUIDE Trucks and Caravans – Part 3
WORDS MARTY LEDWICH, IMAGES MARTY LEDWICH AND COREY KELLY
Before we get started, we must put some things into context, setting aside the emotion and drama that often accompanies social media. To do that, let’s look at a few of the myths perpetuated on social media and in the mainstream press.
‘Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one’ – Albert Einstein
Australia’s most luxurious slide out caravans
If you believe everything you read on social media, truck drivers around the country are continually forced to miss their mandated rests because caravans and motorhomes are using designated truck parking areas for their own free camping. I’ve been travelling around this country for the best part of 25 years. I’ve driven in every state and territory of our nation. I’ve spent the last year and a half living full time on the road and, in that time, I’ve covered more than 40,000km. I reckon I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen multiple caravans or motorhomes parked in designated truck-only areas.
I’m not suggesting it doesn’t happen. I just have not seen the evidence that it is happening on the scale suggested.
Where I have seen it on a large scale is on the major highways between our capital cities and it probably happens here because of the sheer volume of traffic on these major routes, particularly during long weekends or school holidays.
During these times, every road user who pulls over at a large service station or rest area is competing with each other. Cars, buses, trucks and RVs of all shapes and sizes are fighting for the limited parking spaces available. It inevitably leads to cars parking in RV-only areas, RVs parking in truck-only areas. It tends to turn into a free for all, with everyone equally to blame for the disorder.
I expect many readers will point out the myriad videos and pictures of caravans supposedly filling truck stops as evidence of the problem. The fact is, many of those videos and pictures don’t tell the full story. Take this video as an example. It is often used to highlight the supposed problem of caravanners filling truck stops and preventing truckies from using the sites.
The rest area is in Yelgun, NSW and offers parking for cars, caravans and trucks. Further, the video was taken during the popular Yelgun festival and the caravans and campers parked in the site were told to park there by the police.
Caravanners are clogging up truck rest areas
BELOW There are so many apps that can assist you to plan your next stop and avoid truck only parking bays. WikiCamps is just one
Sadly, I have to agree that this does happen and it happens quite a lot. Our rig is quite capable of maintaining reasonable legal speed on modest undulating terrain. Many a time we’ve been following a slower RV driver for considerable distances, waiting patiently for an overtaking opportunity only to find, when one becomes available, the slower vehicle suddenly speeds up, making overtaking dangerous or impossible. It is extremely frustrating.
In acknowledging this, I will say that I have experienced this behaviour with drivers of a variety of vehicles, not just caravanners. There have been multiple occasions when we have sat behind a car not towing, driving slowly, we’ve gone to overtake the vehicle and, as soon as they notice it is a caravan overtaking them, they suddenly speed up, while we are overtaking. It is extremely dangerous behaviour.
Caravanners speed up to avoid being overtaken
BELOW Doing a towing course increases your confidence on the road
This is one that really gets me angry. There are no laws that require any driver to drive at the maximum posted speed limit and it is completely unreasonable to expect anyone to do so.
The speed limit is just that. A limit. It is the maximum allowable safe speed for that stretch of road as determined by roads authorities. No one has to drive at that speed. They must not exceed it. Therefore, driving at 95 in a 100 zone is not illegal and, in fact, it is a perfectly safe practice, especially if you’re towing a large caravan.
Consider if we applied the same logic to the blood alcohol limit. Could you imagine what would happen if everyone was driving around with a blood alcohol reading of .05?
It is not illegal to drive at speeds lower than the posted speed limit, however, it is possible to be booked for being an unreasonable obstruction. The road rules vary slightly from state to state, however, they are consistent on this issue. The Australian Road Rule 125 is the rule that covers this situation. It states:
ROAD SAFETY ROAD RULES 2017 - REG 125
Unreasonably obstructing drivers or pedestrians:
1. A driver must not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian.
2. For this rule, a driver does not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian-only because:
- The driver is stopped in traffic; or
- The driver is driving more slowly than other vehicles (unless the driver is driving abnormally slow in the circumstances).
Example of a driver driving abnormally slow:
A driver driving at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour on a length of road to which a speed-limit of 80 kilometres per hour applies when there is no reason for the driver to drive at that speed on the length of road.
In other words, you would have to be driving at a speed much lower than 20km/h below the posted speed limit before you would even be considered to be unreasonably obstructing traffic.
It is worth clarifying that it is possible to be booked if you are driving at a speed of, say, 90 in a 110km/h zone in an overtaking lane. In this instance, you will be booked for failure to keep left unless overtaking.
Caravanners should be forced to drive at the speed limit
GUIDE Trucks and Caravans – Part 3
TRUCKIES VS CARAVANNERS
Myth busting
‘Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one’ – Albert Einstein
Before we get started, we must put some things into context, setting aside the emotion and drama that often accompanies social media. To do that, let’s look at a few of the myths perpetuated on social media and in the mainstream press.
WORDS MARTY LEDWICH, IMAGES MARTY LEDWICH AND COREY KELLY
Caravanners are clogging up Truck Rest Areas
If you believe everything you read on social media, truck drivers around the country are continually forced to miss their mandated rests because caravans and motorhomes are using designated truck parking areas for their own free camping. I’ve been travelling around this country for the best part of 25 years. I’ve driven in every state and territory of our nation. I’ve spent the last year and a half living full time on the road and, in that time, I’ve covered more than 40,000km. I reckon I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen multiple caravans or motorhomes parked in designated truck-only areas.
I’m not suggesting it doesn’t happen. I just have not seen the evidence that it is happening on the scale suggested.
Where I have seen it on a large scale is on the major highways between our capital cities and it probably happens here because of the sheer volume of traffic on these major routes, particularly during long weekends or school holidays.
During these times, every road user who pulls over at a large service station or rest area is competing with each other. Cars, buses, trucks and RVs of all shapes and sizes are fighting for the limited parking spaces available. It inevitably leads to cars parking in RV-only areas, RVs parking in truck-only areas. It tends to turn into a free for all, with everyone equally to blame for the disorder.
I expect many readers will point out the myriad videos and pictures of caravans supposedly filling truck stops as evidence of the problem. The fact is, many of those videos and pictures don’t tell the full story. Take this video as an example. It is often used to highlight the supposed problem of caravanners filling truck stops and preventing truckies from using the sites.
The rest area is in Yelgun, NSW and offers parking for cars, caravans and trucks. Further, the video was taken during the popular Yelgun festival and the caravans and campers parked in the site were told to park there by the police.
BELOW There are so many apps that can assist you to plan your next stop and avoid truck only parking bays. WikiCamps is just one
Caravanners speed up to avoid being overtaken
Sadly, I have to agree that this does happen and it happens quite a lot. Our rig is quite capable of maintaining reasonable legal speed on modest undulating terrain. Many a time we’ve been following a slower RV driver for considerable distances, waiting patiently for an overtaking opportunity only to find, when one becomes available, the slower vehicle suddenly speeds up, making overtaking dangerous or impossible. It is extremely frustrating.
In acknowledging this, I will say that I have experienced this behaviour with drivers of a variety of vehicles, not just caravanners. There have been multiple occasions when we have sat behind a car not towing, driving slowly, we’ve gone to overtake the vehicle and, as soon as they notice it is a caravan overtaking them, they suddenly speed up, while we are overtaking. It is extremely dangerous behaviour.
BELOW Doing a towing course increases your confidence on the road
Caravanners should be forced to drive at the speed limit
This is one that really gets me angry. There are no laws that require any driver to drive at the maximum posted speed limit and it is completely unreasonable to expect anyone to do so.
The speed limit is just that. A limit. It is the maximum allowable safe speed for that stretch of road as determined by roads authorities. No one has to drive at that speed. They must not exceed it. Therefore, driving at 95 in a 100 zone is not illegal and, in fact, it is a perfectly safe practice, especially if you’re towing a large caravan.
Consider if we applied the same logic to the blood alcohol limit. Could you imagine what would happen if everyone was driving around with a blood alcohol reading of .05?
It is not illegal to drive at speeds lower than the posted speed limit, however, it is possible to be booked for being an unreasonable obstruction. The road rules vary slightly from state to state, however, they are consistent on this issue. The Australian Road Rule 125 is the rule that covers this situation. It states:
ROAD SAFETY ROAD RULES 2017 - REG 125
Unreasonably obstructing drivers or pedestrians:
1. A driver must not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian.
2. For this rule, a driver does not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian-only because:
- The driver is stopped in traffic; or
- The driver is driving more slowly than other vehicles (unless the driver is driving abnormally slow in the circumstances).
Example of a driver driving abnormally slow:
A driver driving at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour on a length of road to which a speed-limit of 80 kilometres per hour applies when there is no reason for the driver to drive at that speed on the length of road.
In other words, you would have to be driving at a speed much lower than 20km/h below the posted speed limit before you would even be considered to be unreasonably obstructing traffic.
It is worth clarifying that it is possible to be booked if you are driving at a speed of, say, 90 in a 110km/h zone in an overtaking lane. In this instance, you will be booked for failure to keep left unless overtaking.