GORV - Digital Magazine Special Tests Issue | Page 34
5 ESSENTIAL FACTS
AUSTRALIAN CARAVANNING MEANS THREE THINGS: AMAZING DESTINATIONS,
TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES, AND A HEALTHY DOSE OF MYTHOLOGY.
Many campfire discussions
have devolved into heated
debates about the rules of
the road as they apply to
caravanning. Here, we’ll
debunk five popular myths.
Although, let’s face it, there are
plenty more out there, which
we’ll address another time…
1. EMERGENCY BRAKES
I was wandering Facebook
when I came across a towing-
related post that claimed you
should not attach your van’s
safety chains if you were using
breakaway brakes. According
to this well-intentioned
comment, the safety chains
would prevent the brakes from
activating if the safety chains
were attached because they
34
gorv.com.au
would prevent the cable,
which should be secured to
the towbar or another
permanent part of the tow
vehicle, from activating the
breakaway brake controller.
Nonsense. The safety
chains are designed to keep
the caravan attached to the
tow vehicle in the event they
become otherwise de-coupled.
The breakaway brakes are an
emergency system designed
to prevent the caravan,
should the safety chains fail
too, from careening further
down the highway than it
would without them.
A breakaway system is
mandatory on all caravans
with a Gross Trailer Mass
of 2000kg or more, and they
must remain activated for
at least 15 minutes after the
vehicle and van have separated.
To have a van registered in
New South Wales, you’re
required to have a special
monitor in the driver’s cab
that shows the state of charge
of the battery powering the
emergency braking system.
2. I ONLY NEED
ONE SAFETY CHAIN
Safety chains are compulsory
all around Australia. Vans
weighing less than 2500kg
ATM are required to have at
least one safety chain, while
trailers weighing between
2500kg and 3500kg ATM must
have two. The chains must
comply with AS4177-4.