VANSafe Queensland will be running two free workshops for caravan owners in Kingaroy and Yarraman this weekend.
The workshops are designed to equip caravanners with the knowledge and tools they need to improve their road safety and increase their chances of avoiding potentially fatal road accident.
VANSafe is a state-wide Caravan Safety Check Program which launched in April 2023.
It’s an initiative of Caravanning Queensland in partnership with the Queensland Government’s StreetSmarts Program.
So far it has been run at 13 different locations around the State, helping to upskill more than 2600 Queenmsland caravanners.
This weekend will add two more master classes to the program: one at Kingaroy Showgrounds on Saturday, February 10 and another at the Yarraman Caravan Park on Sunday, February 11.
The VANSafe program has come about in response to the rapid adoption of caravans and recreational vehicles (RVs) over the past few years.
In Queensland alone there are currently 214,560 registered RVs – the highest number of any State in Australia – and total registrations have risen by 20 per cent in the past five years, with an average of 2333 new RV’s hitting Queensland’s roads every month last year.
However – according to the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) – caravanning isn’t all plan sailing.
DTMR report there were 11 RV fatalities on Queensland roads in January this year.
And in 2022, nine out of 10 vehicles towing caravans were found to be exceeding their weight limit.
The VANSafe program is designed to enhance caravan owners awareness of potential challenges on the roads and equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to improve their road safety.
Jason Plant, the CEO of Queensland’s Caravan Trade and Industries Association, said the data demonstrates the need for road safety programs of this nature.
“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.
“With more wheels on the road, there’s more need road safety education to ensure all caravan enthusiasts are travelling safely.”
According to recent Google search trend data, RV enthusiasts are actively seeking this information themselves, as evidenced by substantial increases in searches related to caravan safety, weight, towing and payload over the past twelve months.
These trends highlight the growing interest and importance of caravan safety in Queensland.
According to Google, in the past year there has been:
- A 190 per cent increase in searches around caravan safety
- A 34 per cent increase in searches around caravan weighting
- A 60 per cent increase in searches around caravan towing
And nationally, there has been a 122 per cent increase in searches relating to caravan payloads.
The VANSafe program is open to all owners of caravans, campers and motorhomes and it includes workshops, displays and master classes.
It’s completely free, but places are limited so an online registration is required.
While the Kingaroy program was fully booked out, there are still some spots available for the Yarraman session which will run at the Yarraman Caravan Park on Sunday, February 11 from 2:30pm to 4:30pm.
You can register online by clicking here
