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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Are you traveling with a caravan? Ensure your safety!

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For a few years now, more and more French people have chosen to travel with a caravan for holidays in complete freedom, without any constraint in terms of accommodation or catering. Does this alternative appeal to you for your next vacation? In this article, discover all the precautions to take to drive peacefully with this type of vehicle.

Plan of the article

Check the tires on your caravan
Make sure you have the right hitch
Control your brakes
Install additional mirrors

Check the tires on your caravan

Before departure, take care to check the wear of the tires of your car as well as those of the caravan. If one or more of your tires is worn out, order spare wheels now. With this in mind, GRIP500 offers a wide choice of caravan and car tires at the best price. In addition, delivery is free from two tires. Also be aware that caravan tires should be changed at least once every 6 years, even when they appear to be in good condition.

To read in addition: Where to go to practice tobogganing?

Besides wear, also check your tire pressure. For safe and enjoyable driving, your tires should not be under-inflated or over-inflated. Make sure that the pressure is perfectly adapted to the weight of the caravan when loaded.

traveling with a caravan: Make sure you have the right hitch

The hitch is the element by which your car can tow the caravan. It is therefore essential to choose the one that can support the weight of the caravan. Thanks to their reinforced chassis, SUVs, station wagons, and other pick-ups are best suited to this task.

Read also: The top 5 visits not to be missed in Guadeloupe

traveling with a caravan: Three towing hook systems exist:

.the fixed hook welded to the frame: this tends to disappear for safety reasons and for aesthetic reasons
.the removable towing hook
the towing hook is electrically retractable from the passenger compartment. Luxury brands such as BMW offer it The price on the other hand exceeds 1000 euros.
You must also familiarize yourself with the operations to follow for the installation of this element, but also for its possible adjustments.

If your caravan is used, make sure, like the tires, that the hitch is still in good condition. Replace it immediately before driving off if you notice any signs of advanced wear.

Control your brakes

The brakes are also an essential part of your safety on the road. You should know that if the permissible gross weight (PTAC) of your caravan exceeds 750 kg, it must have a parking brake and a road brake slaved to that of the car. You must first check them for a few kilometers before going on vacation.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with these braking systems, as they differ significantly from the braking systems of light cars. Pay particular attention to the braking distance which can increase by 30% on a dry road and 50% on a wet road.

Install additional mirrors



To ride a caravan with confidence, you need to make sure you have good visibility and that you can see what’s going on behind the vehicle. To do this, you need to install exterior mirrors. Before hitting the vacation road, take a test drive on a road with little traffic to make sure there are no blind spots.

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