Runaway caravan in Yorkshire

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The motor cyclist had a very close shave and also the camera car. The Dacia Sandero was not so lucky.
The VW never had towing mirrors either for an 8' wide caravan. I wonder why the breakaway cable never worked unless it was looped over a detachable towball?
Just noticed that this happened last month.
 
Jun 16, 2010
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I see the towing handle is up - was it attached properly? Failure of the hitch ?

All speculation of course....as above, why did the breakaway cable not do it's job.

Looks like the driver is going to have a very expensive insurance claim against them

I suspect this video is going to be the subject of much discussion today !
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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I see the towing handle is up - was it attached properly? Failure of the hitch ?

All speculation of course....as above, why did the breakaway cable not do it's job.

Looks like the driver is going to have a very expensive insurance claim against them

I suspect this video is going to be the subject of much discussion today !
Towing handle looks to be down. If cable was looped over a detachable towball and that became detached, the cable with not do its work.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Frightening in the extreme. Fortunately no serious injuries. Car from crumple zones aren’t really designed to be attacked by a solid A frame.
 
May 24, 2014
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Im not sure the motrocycle had that lucky escape, it definitely hit him, as you can see with the impact the caravans battery box bursts open. Its very lucky that nobody was killed in this incident, it could have gone vastly different.

It is as you say all speculation as to how it happened, but my speculation is newbie. No mirrors, stabilizer not fully down, breakaway cable not functioning.
 
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JTQ

May 7, 2005
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Yep, you're quite right

View attachment 1572

No sign of a detachable towbar there though, how odd

In this photo the handbrake had not been activated, so if that was the case it is not a single fault, but a double fault, coming off the ball in the first place and failing of the handbrake activation.
I am not seeing any towball hanging from the hitch, so reducing it being a detachable towbar issue.

I would be interested to know how far he had got since hitching up? Clearly the exiting from a roundabout initiated it all.
I have known several vans coming off the ball, none made it out of the site before being knocked off. Two by a sleeping policeman by my pitch on a site in France!
 
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It has been suggested that to check if the detachable is locked in place, one lowers the jockey wheel to raise the rear of the vehicle. It probably works in many cases however as you are lifting the rear of the car, but whether locked in place or not surely the detachable towball will give you the false impression that all is okay. It however will confirm that the caravan is locked onto the towball.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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It has been suggested that to check if the detachable is locked in place, one lowers the jockey wheel to raise the rear of the vehicle. It probably works in many cases however as you are lifting the rear of the car, but whether locked in place or not surely the detachable towball will give you the false impression that all is okay. It however will confirm that the caravan is locked onto the towball.
You should raise the car on the van nose wheel to check the hutch is latched. Detachable or fixed it’s the same procedure
 
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JTQ

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It has been suggested that to check if the detachable is locked in place, one lowers the jockey wheel to raise the rear of the vehicle.

If indeed that is being suggested it is not sound advice, many detachable bars are anything but removed by pulling upwards.
However, that check is vital to ensure the hitch pawl is latched under the ball as intended; something that most unlikely had been done in the case in the "clip".
 
Jun 16, 2010
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It has been suggested that to check if the detachable is locked in place, one lowers the jockey wheel to raise the rear of the vehicle. It probably works in many cases however as you are lifting the rear of the car, but whether locked in place or not surely the detachable towball will give you the false impression that all is okay. It however will confirm that the caravan is locked onto the towball.

Yep, like a lot of others I'll do that before I start any journey. I also just jump up and down on the drawbar to make sure the detachable bar is firmly in its socket!

I also won't loop the breakaway cable around the towbar, preferring something substantial to attach it to
 
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Yep, like a lot of others I'll do that before I start any journey. I also just jump up and down on the drawbar to make sure the detachable bar is firmly in its socket!

I also won't loop the breakaway cable around the towbar, preferring something substantial to attach it to
I assume you mean towball and not tow bar?
 
May 7, 2012
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the tow ball does not seem to be in the hitch so looks unlikely to be the problem but if but was not hitched securely it is unlikely it would have made it onto the road and up to that speed. Looks a mystery but the stabiliser handle also looks up but that should not affect the security if the hitch was locked on correctly. Bit of a mystery unless someone knows the full details.
Tried to see what the debris was but it is not clear.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Still does not prove that the detachable towball has locked in place although the caravan hitch may be locked onto it.

What then shows the detachable is in place? What is your technique?

Mine is to fit it iaw Witter instructions ensure the turn handle colours are correctly aligned. Lock it and give the car a good shaking.
 
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What then shows the detachable is in place? What is your technique?

Mine is to fit it iaw Witter instructions ensure the turn handle colours are correctly aligned. Lock it and give the car a good shaking.
Maybe you misunderstood my post? I stated that winding down the jockey wheel to lift the rear of the vehicle does not prove that the detachable has locked in place.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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How incredibly lucky the motorcyclist was. if the caravan had been just an inch further into the on-coming lane , it would have caught his RH foot rest and spun him face into the side of the caravan, probably fatally.

I'm also relieved to read that no one else was seriously injured either. I could have been so much worse. Any one who was involved in that will certainly thanking their lucky stars.

We can all see what happened, and understand how dangerous the situation was, I guess we would all like to know what caused it, and I can personally think of various scenarios, but without all the facts its just a guessing game and we cold unfairly point the finger at someone who could be entirely innocent.

So lets marvel at the luck of the motorcyclist and the driver an passengers in the car that filmed it , and have sympathies for the people in the white car, and hope they 're fine. and hope the driver if the tow vehicle is also ok.

Lets all take away the realisation of how potentially dangerous towing really is, and how important it is to keep its safe and enjoyable.
 

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