Highways England driving home the importance of towing safely
A roadshow offering safety advice for those towing this summer has been hailed a success by Highways England and partner organisations.
The event - which saw more than 100 people come along and ask for information on towing - took place on Friday 21 July at Strensham services on the M5.
Highways England joined forces with leading towing and safety organisations including The Camping and Caravanning Club and Central Motorway Police Group.
The event followed the launch of a national safety campaign by Highways England earlier this year that sought to raise awareness among motorists to check their vehicles before setting off.
There are around 5,000 per year incidents every year involving caravans or personal trailers, which equated to around 13 incidents per day in 2015.
In addition, almost half of all breakdowns are caused by simple mechanical problems which could be avoided with simple checks and nearly a quarter are caused by tyre problems. Meanwhile, more than 22 motorists broke down each day during July and August last year because they had run out of fuel.
Highways England Safety manager Wayne Norris said:
Safety is our top priority and we’re pleased that we had so many people coming along to speak to us while we were at the event.
It was a great opportunity for us to meet people that were taking their caravans or trailers away on holiday this summer and offer them pointers on how to stay safe whilst towing.
Technical specialists from the Camping and Caravanning Club were also present to show road users how to correctly load their caravans and trailers before setting off.
Technical Manager at the Camping and Caravanning Club, Ian Hewlett said:
The event was on one of the busiest days of the year and we had many people speaking to us over the day. We’re pleased to be working with Highways England to raise awareness amongst people towing and this event was a great way for us to speak to people towing caravans or trailers.
Those stopping off at the services were also able to learn more about Highways England and how it manages the safety of motorists and controls traffic following incidents. There was also advice about driving on smart motorways along with information about major structural repair schemes in the Midlands region.
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