RV FEATURE
HOW TO REACT
Here are five very simple steps you can take to regain control over a swaying caravan or other trailer:
1. Remain calm. Do not panic.
2. Don’ t touch the tow vehicle’ s brakes.
3. Keep the steering wheel pointed straight ahead as much as possible.
4. Gradually release the accelerator and reduce speed until the swaying stops.
5. If the trailer is fitted with electric brakes, activate them manually using the override feature on your brake controller.
Once the vehicle has regained stability, slow down and pull off the road at the first safe opportunity. Check the caravan and tow vehicle for anything that may have contributed to the situation, such as low tyre pressures, load imbalance, etc.
Do not try to accelerate out of the sway. You may have had some old-timer tell you this is how you stop the wobbles. But by adding additional energy into an already unstable situation, this will likely make the situation worse.
Dog trailer caravans are very rare but they do exist.
SWAY CONTROL
Sway control is a great caravan safety feature but do not rely on it! Many modern tow vehicles and caravans come fitted with some form of electronic sway control. These use the car’ s or trailer’ s brakes to oppose any sideways motion when sway is detected. While these systems are very effective, they can induce a false sense of security. Just because your rig has some form of electronic sway control, doesn’ t mean you can ignore all the preventative measures suggested to ensure your caravan is stable. These systems are good, but they have their limitations. 46 \