Caravan driver, 67, instantly regrets highway overtake attempt
A terrifying video has captured the moments a car towing a caravan rolled over on a Queensland highway.
The dashcam footage was taken along the Bruce Highway, near Gumlu on Monday 29 July at approximately 11:55am.
The video shows the driver towing the caravan speed up and lose control, swerving, before the car and caravan flips multiple times.
Queensland Police say the driver was a 67-year-old man from South Australia and he and his passenger only sustained minor injuries.
Senior Constable Mark Siddall from the Forensic Crash Unit said that considering the footage, it is amazing all parties involved only suffered minor cuts and bruises.
“The driver of any vehicle is legally responsible for being safe when towing a caravan,” Senior Constable Siddall said.
“Complete a few short towing trips at first, gradually increasing the distance travelled before embarking on a long trip.
“This allows you to familiarise yourself with your vehicle and caravan and to understand the feel of the weight of the caravan on the back of your vehicle.”
The legal speed limit for that of a vehicle towing a caravan or trailer is the same as a normal vehicle.
There are numerous rules that apply for vehicles towing caravans and trailers - people are not permitted to ride in the trailer or caravan and towing more than one trailer is illegal.
The video was shared by QLD Police on Facebook, where they reminded motorists to be safe while towing and ensure driving conditions are safe.
One person who said they were a “professional long distance road train operator” with more than 30 years experience said he had seen incidents like this “countless” times.
“More education needed for all that travel remote areas and haul caravans,” he wrote in the comments.
“People need to just slow down, you’re on holidays, what’s the rush?”
Last year a similar incident happened on the same highway. Dashcam footage showed a caravan rolling into the ditch on the median strip near Beerwah, on the Bruce Highway.
While the caravan was reduced to rubble, luckily the driver and passenger in the 4WD escaped without injury.
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