FAILING TO INSPECT
I reckon this mistake is the most common of
all: a failure to perform a thorough inspection
of the van, ensuring it’s ready to be towed,
before departure.
How many caravans have you seen on the
road with a hatch or antenna still up? A few,
no doubt. At low speeds in open areas, this is
unlikely to cause any damage. But at
highway speeds, or perhaps when going
under a low bridge, an expensive insurance
claim is inevitable.
I’ve seen a jockey wheel still attached, a door
flapping in the breeze because it hadn’t
latched properly (just lock the door, okay?) and
a rear window left open.
Once upon a time, while towing a van through
the Flinders Ranges, I apparently didn’t latch
the shower door closed. When I hopped
inside, I found the shower door on the
bathroom floor, having gouged the bathroom
walls as it fell. Oops.
As we always say around here, make a
checklist and use it.
REMOVE YOUR MIRRORS
How many times have you forgotten to
remove your extension mirrors after
unhitching, and then taken the tow vehicle for
a drive, sans caravan? Or perhaps you’ve
decided removing the mirrors would be too
painful, since you’ll just have to refit them the
next morning.
The fact is, leaving those mirrors attached is
against the law. On the face of it, it might
seem silly, since those mirrors are giving you
an even greater field of view.