Caravan Industry Association of Australia’s annual Road Safety campaign reminds the over 1.7 million campers preparing to hit the road this Easter to remain safe and plan ahead.

Australia has over 820,000 registered caravans and RVs and with many planning to travel again, taking precautions and preplanning your trip is vital to ensure a safe trip and enjoyable holiday.

An estimated 1.7 million caravan and campers are expected to hit the road this Easter Holiday.
The caravan industry has grown significantly in recent years, Caravan Industry Association of Australia’s recent Business Condition report showed the growth in the number of annual caravan and camping trips in Australia had overtaken the 2019 levels, with 15.1 million trips and 60.1 million visitor nights recorded at the end of 2022.

Caravan Industry Association of Australia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stuart Lamont said, “it is fantastic to see so many Australians’ enjoying the joys of the caravanning lifestyle and the communities they travel to love having them.  We know from research conducted by Tourism Research Australia, caravan and campers are big spenders, with on average travellers spending $841 per trip in a caravan park and creating over $9.5 billion of visitor expenditure annually.”

“We love hearing stories of Aussies travelling our country and spending time in our beautiful regions, that’s why we are reminding everyone about embark upon their fun Easter adventures, to stay safe and plan your trip ahead of time to keep it a safe and enjoyable time with their families and loved ones”.

February 2023 research indicated a pent-up demand for travel with 85% of caravan and campers planning to spend the same or more on a holiday this year.

“We know as an industry, pre-planning, and remaining stress free is the secret to a safe and enjoyable time away during the holiday period.  Little things like planning your stops and how the kids will remain occupied during the trip go a long way to ensuring your attention remains on getting to your destination safely” said Stuart.

In preparation, road safety information about pre-planning your trip to manage fatigue, proper use of rest stops including truck rest areas, vehicle preparation, sharing the road with trucks, towing, caravan parks shared spaces and pool safety will be promoted and shared.
Road Safety Research indicates:

• RV road users are most likely to have a crash on Monday or Sunday as drivers return from their holidays.
• Crashes are most likely to occur between 10am and 12pm.
• Whilst crashes are more likely to occur in urban centres, fatalities are more likely to occur on regional roads.
• Rear Ends are the most common reason for a crash (18%) followed by angle collision i.e., turning (14%) and losing control (13%)

Caravan Industry Association of Australia in partnership with other state caravan associations, professional service providers and other relevant bodies such as the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and Queensland Trucking Association, provide free to access consumer digital and print educational assets.

This information is available through easy to digest videos, engaging online quizzes and written content across email, social media, and digital platforms.

Each year tens of thousands of Towing handbooks are distributed free of charge.

https://www.letsgocaravanandcamping.com.au/safety/