Blitz on <span class="highlight">caravan</span> mirrors.

Hi Hairy (NT)
Your not wrong I've seen heaps especially in WA The truckies must be pulling there hair out. You cant even call them up on UHF if they have one, they have them turned down or off. Caravaners are a breed all of there own, they think they own the road. I see there is a bit of a blitz on at the moment SA, VIC, NSW. Police and the RTA are pulling them up and weighing them, for over weight, putting canaryies on them and making them get flat tops to pick them up. Gundagai I saw about 5 or 6 sitting there waiting to be moved, also saw 4wd's, motorhomes, camper trailers. One bloke had a brand new 200series stuff on the roof, 5 passanger's and the back was full and was booked for over weight (true) had to get rid of some stuff. Back to the caravans, they should all be checked when they buy them, and not allowed out of the sales yard without the wright mirrors on.
Cheers

You need to be aware that not all vans with no mirrors visible, other standard vehicle ones, do not have rear vision. The use of rear vision cameras are becoming more common. This is a quite legal option. Providing you can see any vehicle approaching from the rear and any overtaking vehicle on either side then the camera complies. The WA legislation does not state mirrors are required but rather refers to vision. Confirmed by office of road safety in WA and by police in NSW when I was stopped and questioned about my lack of extension mirrors.

I do agree that it appears many vans on the road do not have any rear vision, indicated by the way they are driving.

No Hairy its not just you , thing is sometimes the law / legislation takes a loooong time to wake up to new beaut technology , rear vision camera's / LED light bars , total agree though that more POLICING of overweight slowing traffic needs to be done , a few fines dished out to the lah lah lah " i'm on holidays / retired mobile road blocks who have no actual consideration of other road users who are actually on a time frame" needs to be done……. recon that if your on an asphalt road or h/way booking for slow would rake in just as many $$$$ as booking for 5 km over during the annual 'grey nomad' migration cycle.

Hairy,

I reckon that was me you saw. I never put mirrors on the car when I tow the caravan so I can't see all the truckies behind me. I also don't put the UHF on so I can't hear them complain.

Skull

Re mirrors versus cameras this extract may help particularly para (2)

EXTRACT FROM NATIONAL ROAD RULES 2008 - REG 297
297 Driver to have proper control of a vehicle etc
(1) A driver must not drive a vehicle unless the driver has proper control of the vehicle.
(1A) A driver must not drive a vehicle if a person or an animal is in the driver’s lap. .
(2) A driver must not drive a motor vehicle unless the driver has a clear view of the road, and traffic, ahead, behind and to each side of the driver.
ADR 14/02 also has diagrams of the areas to each side that must be viewable from the drivers seat.

I cannot insert the diagram that goes with this but as I understand it the ADR requires a driver to be able to see along the side of the vehicle "by reflection" and that is a national requirement.

Mirrors can not legally be replaced by any cameras at this stage.

frank

Bloody hell..........

"foul mouthed bogans"
"trucks that can't maintain the speed"
"speed limit is not the compulsory"
"maximum speed is not safe for all rigs"
"when they go to revhead heaven"
"what are we talking about here, 5-10-15 minute delay out of your day"
"I never put mirrors on the car when I tow the caravan so I can't see all the truckies behind me"
"I think it irresponsible to pull over"

I realise common sense isn't that common these days and everyone doesn't agree on what common sense is, but I would have thought If you didn't have good vision behind you, you need to change what your doing so you can, with a camera or better mirrors, and If your holding up a heap of traffic for whatever reason, show a bit of courteously and let them past when safe and convenient!!!!

Sounds like the general consensus these days is " I'm all right Jack, Bugger you!"

Remember the bumper stickers Rotary put out years ago?
"Courteousy is Contagious"
Maybe its time they had a re print.................................

Bloody hell....... When are people going to learn their opinion is just that - their opinion. One man's common sense is another's nonsense. We all have opinions and with that a right to express them. Unfortunately, a few seem to think they need to lecture others on their brand of right and wrong. In the words of someone else on this thread - 'Chill'.

On the matter of enforcement.
Yes I agree that there should be more done about enforceing other than speeding, red lights and drink driving.

MMM...YEESSS.....and in QLD it does happen from time to time.

There is one location in a working class suburb I travel thru, where the police and transport inspectors regularly mount operations.
Ive seen the car pack packed with vehicles that have to be towed or fixed before they move any further.
Blokes with car trailer, tow trucks and even groups of young fellas wheeling tyres down the street.

QLD transport and the coppers have mounted regular oppertions at the QLD NSW border turning back over weight caravans and illegal 4wds.

A year or two ago they mounted an operation comming off the beach at Teewar ( lot of the fraser island traffic comes thru Teewar when the tides are right) at the end of a long week end.

They had heaps of 4wds parked up and having to be towed home...some of them as far as the NSW border...and that was on top of the hunderds of drive away offecneces they wrote.

My sister and her husband drive Tville-Bris-Tville fairly regularly....there are a coupe of transprt & police teams that make regular appaerances complete with mobile scales.

Far from unusual for there to be a mobil scale and transport inspection near the Witsunday turnoff...specifically trageting caravans during "turtle migration season".

As far as the tail gating cowboy truckers.....there seem to be less and less of those ......I've heard other heavy vehicle drivers give the cowboys a big ear full.

As far as the self righteous that try to enfrorce their own rules on truckies...like slowing down till they back off....fellas you are very likley to get ye heads punched in, or get ye self rear ended.
some of those agressive guys are still using marijuhuji, yippe beans or high doses of caffene and combined with their personal mental instability can not be relied upon to to behave anything like reasonably.

All it would take is for a gentile tap on your rear bumper and you are in the ditch and they are gone.

If they pass you then block the road...you have nowhere to go...they don't care if you have their number plate..its your word against theirs.

While there are less and less of the coyboy truckers out there...weeded out by company polocy, police checks and regular drug testing......there are still a small amount of people driving trucks you realy don't want to be on the bad side off.

Marijuana usage is still high in the transport industry, particularly outside the big companies.
One bloke I was doing some service work for, pulled in for his sheduled slot at Mt Isa in his road train...there was abloke there who had arrived way early for his slot ...he had driven Toowomba to Mt Isa direct with no breaks and looked real twichy.


For Gods sake...if one of these blokes is up your tail.....get out of the way, when it is safe to do so.....that is the safest thing you can do..

cheers

Bantam mate:
Firstly, if I'm sitting on 100 in a 100 zone and observing all the road rules, how can I be booked for anything?????? Not sound logic.
Secondly, I'm not enforcing anything - simply obeying the road rules????
Thirdly, if their opinion is they have the right to break the road rules or use their bullish tactics to force you to do the same, then their opinion is most definitely 'WRONG'.

Hairy. If you don't report them they will definitely kill someone, stop them before they do.
Be responsible, sticking your head in a bucket of sand will not stop them: Stand up, be a man, do something about it - report them.

Got to say we had terrible experience on the Indian Ocean drive on recent long weekend. what a night mare, caravanners driving at 70 and 80 kph in a 110 zone. OMG what a bunch of selfish tossers.

One family towing a van had about 16 vehicles held up behind them and just drove past numerous rest stops. Seriously people, if your towing a van and you cant maintain 100kph should you be towing?

Hairy,

Your OP got a bad response from a lot of people who tow, and are sick of people telling them they have to sit on the maximum speed limit.

Comments on a grumpyforum can be ignored, but a cowboy a metre behind you at 95kph regardless of road conditions pisses people off and they react to anti-caravanner posts like yours.

I tow a caravan at a speed I decide is safe. In good conditions, that's 100kph. If I'm travelling slower, I use ch40 to let them know I will let them past when I can.

Despite this, I still get idiots who pull out to pass knowing I will break hard to avoid being run off the road.

No wonder people get annoyed when the "must drive at the speed limit" brigade come out.

Skull