Is Friday a Bad day for caravanning

[Rick_5041348]

Hi all as I`m a courier driver with the Ambulance servis I`m on the road all day, Listening to the radio today there were reports on four different roads of caravans overturned, I know we dont know the reason for this today and I hope everyone was ok, But four on the same day is bad news, expect some flack now

 

[Roy_374355334]

Hello Rick

I also am on the road all day mostly the M6/M62/M60/M55/M65 and the M61 And I also tow a caravan when I go on holiday.What I can say is that when caravans overturn it isn`t alway`s the drivers fault,mostly its when they get cut up by other drivers[car-van-HGV-vehicles]it can also be caused by a tyre blow-out and in some cases going to fast.But I have clocked courier drivers doing more than 100 mph in all weathers and the white van man causes more accidents than caravanners do any day of the week,so I urge everybody to slow down and watch the road ahead,you never know travel on the above motorway`s and I could be behind you.

Roy

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Rick,

I agree with you in hoping that no one has been hurt in any incidents.

But I do find it very annoying that the traffic reports on the radio do seem to be biased heavily against caravans.

How may incidents have occurred to day that has meant that traffic has been delayed on the roads? We are very fortunate if it has only been four, but it is more likely four hundred or more, so why out of all those do the traffic reporters choose the ones that involve caravans, and make sure that every one knows it's a caravan?

I suspect that if the numbers were looked look at fairly, incidents involving caravans would represent such a low percentage of the total they would not even be mentioned.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Hi Rick, I know it's off topic but having spent 30 years on front line work in the Ambulance Service what is an Ambulance Service courier driver? I've been finished 3 years now so was intrigued if this is a new post/line of duty.

I agree with Roy regarding the caravans having been cut up myself a few times now. It's a case of "There but by the grace of God go I".

 

[Rick_5041348]

I too am a caravaner and agree that it is not always the caravan driver at fault, what I meant was that it always seems to be on a friday that there seems to be these incidents, I like Roy am on the road wherever we are sent wether it be collecting blood for transfusions or moving xrays or medical records to different hospitals, I see the good caravaners I also see some that own the road and are breaking the speed limits king of the road type.

 

[Damian]

I think the reason, or one reason anyway, why caravan incidents get such publicity is that when a car or van is involved in a crash, or incident, it is usually pretty well contained.

When a caravan overturns, it generally means lots of debris over several hundred yards of road, as they collapse like matchwood.

 

[Rick_5041348]

Hi Rick, I know it's off topic but having spent 30 years on front line work in the Ambulance Service what is an Ambulance Service courier driver? I've been finished 3 years now so was intrigued if this is a new post/line of duty.

I agree with Roy regarding the caravans having been cut up myself a few times now. It's a case of "There but by the grace of God go I".

Hi I have been Ambulance Courier for 15 odd years now used to be Essex Ambulance Service now East of England we run all the different equipment from the hospital to out reach clinics,collect specimens from doctors surgeries and del to path lab, deliver equipment and drugs from wards to patients homes more or less everything that moves in hospitals we do

 

[Lutz]

I agree with Damian. Caravan accidents are generally more spectacular than accidents involving only cars so they make better news. Besides, as debris is often spread over a wider area they often create more havoc with traffic flow. On the other hand, taking into account the scale of damage, fewer caravan accidents actually involve serious injury.

Perhaps there are just more caravans on the road on Fridays so there are bound to be proportionately more accidents.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Hi Rick, I know it's off topic but having spent 30 years on front line work in the Ambulance Service what is an Ambulance Service courier driver? I've been finished 3 years now so was intrigued if this is a new post/line of duty.

I agree with Roy regarding the caravans having been cut up myself a few times now. It's a case of "There but by the grace of God go I".

Thanks for clearing that up Rick, I know what you mean. Here the local Health Authority covers that kind of work although like all trusts these days the Chief Execs try to build their own little empires.

Locally a small van type vehicle had been converted to carry wheelchairs as well as walking patients to our Dialysis Centre but the driver/carer was employed by Warwickshire Ambulance Trust which I believe is now part of, like Hereford & Worcester Ambulance Service, the West Midlands Ambulance Service.

 

[DeliDave]

yesterday was the start of the industrial summer break as well as all my inlaws at LDV were off to Devon yesterday and today