Driver's 'entitled' act on wet road reignites call for major licence change

A frustrated driver is calling for stricter licensing rules after he was held up for over an hour by a caravan blocking road access after its driver lost control of the vehicle.

The truck driver, who underwent training to obtain a "special category licence" was off-duty on Wednesday and was driving his car along the "steep and windy" Mount Glorious Road, situated 35 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, when he was blocked by the caravan mishap.

"There are signs along this road not to take trucks, buses, caravans or trailers, so to my surprise, lo and behold is a caravan traversing the road," Andrew Mathiesen told Yahoo News. He said the caravan driver initially pulled to one side and let Mathiesen pass when they were travelling the same way but encountered one another again on his return trip.

"Then minutes later I headed back the direction I came from to be blocked for one hour because of a entitled caravaner," he said. "[The] wet conditions, debris all over the road made conditions more slippery and the road not suitable for heavy vehicles or caravans. The caravan has pushed the tow vehicle around on a sharp bend."

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Push for specific caravan towing licence

At the moment anyone who wants to tow a caravan simply needs to have a standard driving licence but Mathiesen believes those towing caravans should be required to undergo more training and obtain a specific licence, given the extra weight and length the driver needs to control.

"Why shouldn't they have to pass a licence test to show they can tow a caravan, after all I need to drive a truck weighing similar weight?"

This sentiment was shared by road safety expert Raphael Grzebieta from UNSW who previously told Yahoo News it makes sense to have additional training and licensing for those who tow caravans as it is comparative to driving an articulated vehicle — one which has a powered unit connected to a semi-trailer.

"Folks towing a caravan need additional training if the caravan is above a certain load. It’s not like towing a small trailer," he said.

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