Surfer said:
I think you misunderstood my posy entirely. If no MOT or registrartion happened, the easiest way around it is to make it compulsory for caravans to be insured. The insurance company then has a clause mentioning a service at least once every two years for insurance to be valid. Onus no longer on government and a cheaper method to ensure roadworthy caravans.
As for towing anything, perhaps in the future you could be required to sit an exam and do a practical test.
Both would be very cost effective to the government and go a long way towards saving lives.
I remain unconvinced that there is a need for any new towing legislation or caravan insurance requirement to be introduced Surfer.
As Dustydog stated, a touring caravan is already covered by the towing vehicle insurance when it is being towed, personally I choose to insure my caravan against loss or damage with a separate policy but I don't see the need for this to be made compulsory, it is purely a matter of choice and up to the individual.
My caravan insurance policy (C&CC Clubcare new for old) states that any accident resulting in damage which happens whilst the caravan is being towed is not covered by that policy and claims must be made against my motor vehicle insurance policy.
I receive a discount from my caravan insurance for regular servicing but I wouldn't want the insurers to dictate to me when and where my caravan has to be serviced and I definitely wouldn't want my caravan insurance premium to be more expensive.
If I decided to take a C&CC towing course I'd receive a small premium discount but as an ex HGV driver who drove articulated vehicles for many years I really don't see the need.
VOSA roadside checks are designed to weed out dangerously unroadworthy caravans,
and there will be more of them as time goes by.
I'd much rather
that government funding went towards more police patrols which would
deter ALL dangerous drivers, ALL unroadworthy and uninsured vehicles and ALL drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol, why should a predomiantly safe and law abiding section of road users be targetted?
Legislation already exists which compel those who passed their driving test after 1/1/1997 to undertake furthertraining to pass their B+E licence if they wish to tow with a combined weight of over 3500kg.
If caravanners caused carnage on the highways and byways of Britain I'd agree that new towing legislation should be introduced but clearly this is not the case.
The Dept of Transport accepts that towing vehicles are involved in fewer road traffic incidents involving injury or death than other group of road users.
The figure quoted is around 1% of the total and this includes r.t. incidents not involving death or injury and it also includes heavy goods vehicles, vehicles over 3500kg as well as vehicles towing touring caravans.
There is no evidence to suggest that MOT testing for caravans or more stringent towing tests would save lives, given that there are so few deaths due to towing rti's anyway.
All that it would do would be to render touring caravans too expensive a hobby for the majority of hard pressed families, and to make it more difficult for the British caravan industry to prosper so British jobs would be lost and the UK tourist industry would also be adverseley affected resulting in the loss of yet more jobs.
More people would claim benefits and there would be a loss of income tax revenue and NI contributions, so meddlesome EU proposals designed to bring those with poorer road safety records than our own into line with us would once again cost the British tax payer more money.
I think that government raises more than enough revenue through fuel
excise duty, VAT on fuel (and on the excise duty levied on fuel, a tax
on a tax
),
VAT on sky high insurance premiums, congestion charges and road fund
licences without being allowed to get their grubby mitts on even more of
our money, and so any further legislation which would make caravanning
even more expensive than it already is should be fierceley resisted.
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