[Closed] CARAVANS should they be licenced, insured and taxed when on the road

Can't we just ban them from the roads?

Some sort of test to see if they're roadworthy yes and yes some sort of driving class as are massive so drivers should show they are capable.

Aye, lets do the same for bikes while we're at it.

most folk who passed their test after 1995 already have to do a competence test to drag all but the smallest vans .

[i]so should they be liable for a road tax, insurance, and registration,[/i]

Given that in general caravans aren't on the road unless attached to a tow vehicle I think you'll find the above is covered.

And as above if you passed your test after 1995 you need to do a separate test to upgrade your license.

So many of the damm things wobbling around like weebles on the roads lately, some even self destruct, and cause huge traffic delays, so should they be liable for a road tax, insurance, and registration, along with a test for all drivers/ pullers of the things to prove their competence,

And as above if you passed your test after 1995 you need to do a separate test to upgrade your license.

Do we expect the OP to acknowledge his lack of understanding of the rules of the road and arrange themselves for additional driver training or even the modest attempt such as reading the highway code, or just dismiss their displayed lack of knowledge as 'not a problem' as they are 'totally safe unlike everyone else'... 😆

In my first-hand experience of towing a caravan, it doesn't matter how safely you drive there are always plenty of complete cockweasels in other cars determined to make perfectly safe situations incredibly dangerous. Mainly due to their perception that a caravan in front of them is 'holding them up', when in actual fact they're just part of a very long line of cars, as usual.

Quite a similar experience in fact to riding a bicycle on the road.

I reckon the OP could be one of those Clarkson-ite dimwits I've already referred to. Just a tip - why not set off earlier if you're always in a hurry?

This probably hasn't gone the way the OP had envisaged 🙂

I do need a special licence to drive about with mine on account of it's 35 feet long and 12 feet wide.

I just get a man in.

[img] [/img]

i had similar when i hired a propper 8 berth camper.

all the cars just had to get infront of me - even if that meant cutting me up , coming up the inside of me at mini round abouts - that had no inside lane , pulling out from junctions infront of me just so they were ahead of me......

asshats - the lot of them.

I wonder if we'll see them die off, I mean people who passed their tests in '95 will be almost 40 now, their brain cells are slowly dying off and they start to think:

[i]"I know what would make for a really nice holiday, I'll tow a plastic shed behind the car and **** in a bucket for a week"[/i]

Maybe the requirement to re-sit their driving test will be enough to prevent them.

most folk who passed their test after 1995 already have to do a competence test to drag all but the smallest vans .

Nope, 3.5 tonne max train weight means I can [i]just[/i] tow this with my Mondeo:

[img] [/img]

The "restrictions" don't really come into play till you start playing with 4x4's and plant trailers/double axle caravans.

If you passed your car driving test between 1 January 1997 and 18 January 2013, you can:

drive a car or van up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM

tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

If you passed your car driving test (category B) from 19 January 2013, you can tow:

small trailers weighing no more than 750kg

a trailer over 750kg as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing car or van is no more than 3,500kg (3.5 tonnes) maximum authorised mass (MAM)

Do I think it's right? No, not really but given I can drive with it to the correct limits and appropriate speeds (plus I can manouver the damn thing!) then I'm happy in myself. Would I object if everyone needed a test? Nope!

And it's not just caravanners but anyone with a trailer, watched a Discovery towing another Discovery on a trailer at 70 the other day snaking about the place. Terrifying stuff.

most folk who passed their test after 1995 already have to do a competence test to drag all but the smallest vans

Not true. You need a separate test if the gross train weight is over 3500kg.

Crap drivers everywhere of course, some of them will be driving caravans...

it seems it has changed(and google confirms) - it used to have a third point to it that said the plated weight of trailer cannot be more than the unladen weight of the tow vehicle.

handy to know. still a pain - cant tow my dads ifor with the landy 🙁

I'd be in favour of a caravan test, tbh. Teach people how to load, tow and manage them.

Satan's Portakabins!

If I had my way, they'd be fitted with an explosive device which can be triggered automatically if the number of following vehicles on a single carriageway exceeds 4. And I'd have a pair of .303s fitted to my car bonnet so that I could take pot shots at them whilst making "dakka-dakka-dakka" noises.

Actually the above may no be true, I'm just trying the typical STW rant for size. I'm pretty ambivalent about them these days, in fact as an eighteen year old at a rainy beer festival in 1992, I was very grateful when a pal borrowed his dad's caravan for three days. It kept the rain out of my beer, you see.

TBH I can't recall the last time I saw a badly towed, deathtrap caravan. I guess physics has a way of weeding out the bad drivers very quickly.

My dad suggested, very reasonably I thought, that Caravans should be taxed at the rate of £1000 per foot per year,. For this sum they could then use the road network between 7pm and 7 am. This was back in the day when £1000 was real money.

But he always was a woolly liberal

My van is just about the same length as my passat estate. It has a max weight of 800kg. So a 2ldiesel tows it quite well. Usually held up by other traffic. But still people must get by me.

I think it would be a good idea to have an MOT type requirement and licence them to a specific vehicle. Had a matea while back with a Corsa and towbar who tow anything as long as he could get it moving, stopping it quickly and safely didn't register with him.

We had a caravan. It was fun while it lasted (two trips away) but it was too much hassle to load up and tow and worry about and reverse (yes, you're probably awesome at reversing them) for what we do so we sold it. Now we just kip in the car (Doblo) if we're away overnight with the bikes. We wouldn't buy another one. They are just traffic though, like everybody else- not holding anyone up or being held up themselves, just traffic. Meh. Leave 10 minutes earlier if you're in a rush 😆

Ours isn't a hassle to load up, all our stuff stays in it. We just bring food and clothes. Much easier than packing for tent camping.

Re holding up traffic - happens surprisingly not that often where I end up going. Half the time on SC roads there's one or two cars behind for five minutes, half the time we're stuck ourselves behind something even slower.

so should they be liable for a road tax,

Yes.

Emissions based obviously, to keep it fair.

As for licencing them to a specific vehicle, that's what your vehicle handbook covers. Max towing weight and all that.

The only issue with caravans I have is the number of people driving around without extended mirrors, giving them selfs a massive blind spot. It is really nice only big 4x4 and vans than can get away without them. Your qashcow still needs them **** face!

Mankind's worst creation. They should be banned, then destroyed.

I was a little sniffy about them right up to the point when I went away biking for a week in a mates in the middle of nowhere. Being able to stand up to get changed in the warm after a hot shower without walking across a wet muddy field, all the while drinking cold beer from the fridge as we cooked proper food changed my mind very quickly. More room for the equivalent sized camper van and you can leave it behind when you want to drive to the pub! As to some form of basic competency requirement before being able to tow them, I see no harm in that

In Sweden you need to MOT caravans and trailers iirc.

Does seem reasonable to have some sort of MOT test, you see some on the road that seem close to falling apart.

I'd like a wee basic one tbh, if I had space to keep it I'd already have it. Race weekends and that.

I wouldn't be averse to that idea either. First 'van I bought was pretty frightening to tow home. Didn't check tyre pressures, turns out one was semi flat, and both were far too old. Brakes didn't work well either.

Being able to stand up to get changed in the warm after a hot shower without walking across a wet muddy field, all the while drinking cold beer from the fridge as we cooked proper food

Seeing people doing the same at 24 hour races sold me 🙂

Race weekends and that.

Good for this, as long as you aren't going a long way for your event. When you're going on holiday, an extra 20 minutes in two hours isn't a big deal. When you're stressed and in a rush on a Friday after work and have to get to Scotland, it could make you an hour or more late.

Then again, it's sublime to pull up at midnight in the rain, put legs down and get inside, get the heater on, make some hot chocolate and snuggle down in a warm comfy bed listening to the rain on the roof 🙂 That was our first time out in ours, at big bike bash 🙂

I reckon the OP could be one of those Clarkson-ite dimwits I've already referred to. Just a tip - why not set off earlier if you're always in a hurry?

when in doubt about anything sensible to write, invoke the JC CLAUSE. A TRUE SIGN OF FAILURE

I wonder if bikes should be taxed, MOT'd and insured on the road. 😉

when in doubt about anything sensible to write

you conveniently missed out all the other stuff I wrote. A TRUE SIGN OF FAILURE

Mot for caravans and any large trailer horse box etc I'm in favour of but can't see the need for any changes to licensing.

There's as many, if not more, idiots on bikes on the roads, as there are towing caravans.

If ever you're stuck behind a caravan and annoyed, simply try this....

Place the word @nal in front of the name of the caravan.

Buccaneer
Crusader
Pageant
Etc.

Perfect.

i was only commenting on the sir jc comment

Is anal a banned word?

Nope, seems not...

CARAVANS should they be [s]licenced, insured and taxed when[/s] on the road

Fixed that for you.

I was trying to be at least a little polite, Squirrel. 🙂

matt_outandabout - Member

I wonder if bikes should be taxed, MOT'd and insured on the road.

You seen what happens when things go wrong with a caravan on tow?

Anal Avalon?

I'm looking forward to a few days away in my [i]Anal Challenger[/i] soon.