VOSA Roadside Checks

Jun 20, 2005
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Excellent👍. But how true the word “inexperienced”. A chap last week at Buxton. Unhitched in the site road and use his mover to enter the pitch. Chatting later he told me he had never reversed his caravan bought last year. But he proudly told me his tug, a Porsche Cayenne had plenty of punch 🤪🤪
 
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May 24, 2014
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Yeah, I saw that. Apparently each test is going to take 20 minutes, and any defects found will not allow the unit to proceed. Within reason I dont have a problem with it, but I certainly wouldnt be happy being placed in a queue for tests with a long journey to compete.

I usually travel at night anyway, so Im not expecting to bump into them.
 
May 24, 2014
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Excellent👍. But how true the word “inexperienced”. A chap last week at Buxton. Unhitched in the site road and use his mover to enter the pitch. Chatting later he told me he had never reversed his caravan bought last year. But he proudly told me his tug, a Porsche Cayenne had plenty of punch 🤪🤪

Exactly. For most of us, caravanning is our passion, and we soak up all the knowledge and experience we can. Most of us research things properly and have some experience in all aspects of towing and loading. Then its bring on the Marbella Brigade, who will any buy a caravan or motorhome on a whim and shoot off into the sunset causing chaos both on roads and on site.
 
Jun 16, 2020
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Excellent👍. But how true the word “inexperienced”. A chap last week at Buxton. Unhitched in the site road and use his mover to enter the pitch. Chatting later he told me he had never reversed his caravan bought last year. But he proudly told me his tug, a Porsche Cayenne had plenty of punch 🤪🤪

As I do, got an excellent mover and make full use of it. Does not mean I can’t reverse.

A few years ago at the Old Oaks site, my mover gave up just as I was beginning to reverse onto the pitch. A chap on a close pitch made the assumption that I was unable to reverse so came up and offered to do it for me. Why should he make that assumption?


John
 
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Jun 20, 2005
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John, I made no assumption . He told me! This is a general observation of a number of Covid driven new caravanners who have not learnt the skills of towing.
 
Jan 3, 2012
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When i was at Pickering I just reverse my van with my Tiguan it also has a DSG gearbox straight onto the pitch at the time my back was not playing ball with me .
 
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Jan 3, 2012
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I used to take pride in reversing onto a site-but swmbo bought the motormovers and I got a good telling off-why risk the clutch the car and the faff when she's paid for a mover-that does the job more accurately anyway-who am I to argue!
I normally use the mover but some days now are better than others so i can see her point as well happy wife happy life .!
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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We are away tomorrow down the M5 to a CL in south Gloucestershire where we will be staying until Tuesday before returning.
BTW the checks have already started a this morning they were pulling mainly cars into a laybye on the A449 in Malvern. There were a number of police and also civilians with hi viz vests.

We passed by as they were winding down for lunch so breezed past. We were solo and we did not see any caravans pulled over. Not a caravan route to Blackmore anyway.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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I work next to an approved ncc garage,so caravans come and go regularly,have to say ALOT don't have towing mirrors.
I would say a classic "novice "mistake.
 
Jan 3, 2012
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We are away tomorrow down the M5 to a CL in south Gloucestershire where we will be staying until Tuesday before returning.
BTW the checks have already started a this morning they were pulling mainly cars into a laybye on the A449 in Malvern. There were a number of police and also civilians with hi viz vests.

We passed by as they were winding down for lunch so breezed past. We were solo and we did not see any caravans pulled over. Not a caravan route to Blackmore anyway.
I hope you have a fantastic break this weekend :)
 
May 7, 2012
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I would hope we would be OK as the caravan is regularly serviced and lightly loaded. From what I can gather from previous checks they will find outfits with major faults, serious overloads and drivers with no B+E licence who should have one. Given the number of people who might be a problem now the idea looks worthwhile.
 
May 7, 2012
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Do not go by their percentages of problem outfits often published, as the people who do the stopping are experts at picking up the offenders. The percentage found wrong often looks very high but this is because the likely culprits have been picked rather than the vehicles being stopped at random.
The police will stop older less well looked after looking outfits, those where the caravan looks to be too large or overloaded and possibly younger drivers who might not have a B+E licence when they should have one. They will stop a few others at random though.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Although I agree 100% with these stops, it does not prevent them exceeding 70mph while towing and also using outside lane for overtaking. We still need more patrol cars on the motorways and not parked next to them.
What is the point in a camera that does not stop the person speeding and also will the camera picked up a person towing in excess of 60mph if they are not exceeding 74mph?
 

Parksy

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Nov 12, 2009
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The Central Motorway Patrol Group have marked and unmarked vehicles on the M6/M5/M42, including unmarked tractor units.
The motorways also have number plate recognition cameras, average speed cameras in places as well as facial recognition cameras.
All CMPG vehicles have onboard camera recording equipment, so a towing hothead who constantly breaks traffic laws might get away with it once or twice, but if the law breaking is habitual, towing or not, they will get caught.
There are several DVSA commercial vehicle weigh bridges close to busy motorway junctions and I would imagine that DVSA officials and police will be active on popular motorway service areas to encourage caravan safety and compliance.
Good for them, they should do it more often.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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I was thinking more in terms about static cameras that they use for catching those exceeding the speed limit. Agree they should do it more often and right through the year and not just for a couple of months.
As for patrol vehicles, one hardly seems any on the motorway as they are a very visible deterrent.
 
Jan 3, 2012
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I think they could do with road checks on the M1 I have often seen Trailers and caravanners using the third lane and we were not near any exits
 
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Jun 16, 2020
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Do not go by their percentages of problem outfits often published, as the people who do the stopping are experts at picking up the offenders. The percentage found wrong often looks very high but this is because the likely culprits have been picked rather than the vehicles being stopped at random.
The police will stop older less well looked after looking outfits, those where the caravan looks to be too large or overloaded and possibly younger drivers who might not have a B+E licence when they should have one. They will stop a few others at random though.

You make an excellent point at how overall statistics will be skewed.

In my post which hoped results might be published, I was thinking more in terms of percentages of those stopped overloaded, or poor tyres, or lights, or mirrors or licence etc.

John
 

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