Licensing not the answer for caravan safety

From the spacious vistas of the Great Ocean Road to the rugged beauty of the Kimberley, caravanning across Australia has long been an alluring way to explore the diversity and splendour of our nation.  It is a growing passion for many Australians, as evidenced by the growth in caravan sales in recent years and the increasing number of families opting for caravanning holidays.  

With this growth, calls for an additional towing licence requirement for caravanning continue to draw media attention.  Some would argue that on face value the idea has merit.  What is frustrating, however, is that while caravanning has been the front coverage for the calls based on publicly released accident data, which conveniently does not refer to caravan accidents yet implies it in the reporting, such an introduction would have wide-ranging impacts on all low ATM trailer towing – from your recreation box trailer through to boats and others, with no evidence on how licencing will solve the supposed problem at hand. It smacks of overkill, where other policy drivers, such as education incentives and subsidies, would be far more effective. 

As an industry association, road safety sits at the core of our organisation’s values, “to lead and champion a safe, compliant & sustainable caravanning & camping industry, being our vision statement.  Protecting the consumers who use our industry product is paramount to our advocacy and industry programs. If licensing made our industry safer, we would absolutely be advocating for it.  

Why do we believe licensing does not work? Here are a few of the key points: 

• Lack of Proven Efficacy: Little evidence suggests that a specific license for towing caravans would improve safety outcomes.  All Australian drivers are mandated to be licensed; despite this there is still over 1200 fatalities every year.  In contrast, the caravan industry has had just over 50 fatalities nationally in five years.  

Many incidents occur due to a lack of knowledge or driver error rather than an absence of specific licensing.  Education and awareness campaigns prove far more effective in delivering safer outcomes on our roads. 

• Regulation: Introducing a new license system would require the harmonization of rules across states and territories, given Australia’s federal system of government.  This would demand significant coordination and cooperation among state and territory authorities, which would be challenging due to differing local conditions and priorities. 
• Implementation Costs: Developing and implementing a new licensing system would involve considerable costs.  This includes the costs of administration, training, assessment, and enforcement.  If these costs were passed on to road users in the form of higher fees, it could deter many from embarking upon caravanning, ultimately hurting regional and rural economies. 
• Enforcement: Enforcing a new licensing requirement would pose its own challenges.  The size and remoteness of Australia make policing such a system difficult, with the potential for it to be widely ignored or avoided, particularly in rural and remote areas. 
• Barrier to Entry: An additional license requirement could be seen as a barrier to entry, deterring potential newcomers from taking up caravanning. 

Caravanning and camping is the backbone of domestic and regional tourism, any shifts in its patronage will have direct flow on effects to regional and rural economies across the country. 

• Engagement: Given the popularity of caravanning among Australians, particularly with our older Australians who value the freedom and flexibility caravanning offers, a new license requirement would be seen as an unnecessary bureaucracy or a ‘nanny state’ intervention, leading to public resistance. 

The answer by industry and a far more efficient way to encourage and promote safety is to amplify education and awareness. 

Increasing towing awareness and promotion of safe towing practices holds significantly stronger promise.  As an industry, we already deliver an extensive range of educational materials, providing information, tips, and guides on various topics – from correct loading of caravans to safe towing techniques and the impact of various weather conditions on travel.  

The approach we believe to be the most effective is that of readily accessible and heavily subsidised driver towing courses.  We have long lobbied government to provide funded safe towing courses for drivers and continue to include this in our appeals to Treasury around funding allocations.  

Such a course would provide comprehensive training on all aspects of towing a caravan.  It would cover essential topics such as correct loading, understanding the impact of weather conditions on towing, and safe driving practices specific to towing a caravan.  Rather than merely testing theoretical knowledge like a traditional license, this hands-on, practical course would allow drivers to gain real-world experience under the supervision of trained professionals.  

We know that driver training courses would better equip caravaners for their journey and create a culture of safety and responsibility within the caravanning community.  We firmly believe education, not additional licensing, is the key to fostering safe and responsible caravanning in Australia. 

By establishing such a culture, we can address the root causes of accidents, which often stem from a lack of knowledge or driver error rather than a lack of specific licensing.  Furthermore, we are also actively encouraging caravan manufacturers and dealers to impart basic safety training and advice to their customers.  This, we believe, will have a direct, positive impact on safety levels. 

As the peak body, we will continue to advocate for road safety, pushing for the enforcement of current laws, investment in infrastructure, and, most importantly, education about responsible caravan usage.  We believe these measures are far more effective than any suggestion of a new licensing requirement.