Driving safety training for motorhomes and caravans

A motorhome or caravan is the perfect vehicle for a holiday: travel freely and independently through Germany, Europe or other continents, always with your own bed. The larger the caravan or motorhome, the more comfort it offers. But driving a caravan sidecar or bulky motorhome is always a challenge, even for experienced drivers, because unpredictable situations can quickly lead to the wrong reaction and, in the worst case, to an accident. Special driving safety training for motorhome and caravan drivers helps to recognise dangers in time and to react appropriately. For whom is driving safety training suitable, what are the contents and where is it offered? How long does the driving training last and how expensive is it?

Even if you have spent many hundreds of thousands of kilometres on the road as a long-time car driver, driving a motorhome or caravan/trailer combination always presents you with new challenges. A driving safety training course is designed to give you a better feel for your vehicle and thus the necessary safety. This is important not only for you, but for all road users. You learn to recognise dangers in time, to avoid them and to survive them.

Before you travel with a motorhome or caravan for the first time, it is definitely a good idea to get to know the vehicle well: how does the steering react, how can I reverse with a caravan, how do I park an 8 m motorhome? You should definitely master basic manoeuvres before exposing yourself to the curious glances of campsite neighbours. But experienced drivers are also often found at a driving safety training course. They are familiar with unpredictable situations and know that wrong reactions can quickly lead to an accident. A driving training course helps to better control dangerous situations. Switching to a different or larger vehicle also becomes much easier with a driving safety training course. A driving safety training course is just as suitable for beginners and those switching to a new vehicle as it is for experienced caravan or motorhome drivers.

During driving safety training, you and your vehicle are put into different driving situations and learn how to react correctly. Motorhomes and caravans present you with completely new challenges, not only when manoeuvring or cornering, but also when loading. A driver safety training course begins with a theoretical introduction: What do you expect from the driver training course, do you have questions about a particular topic? The qualified instructors go into detail about the knowledge and wishes of the participants. In addition, driving physics and vehicle technology are covered in depth. Before the practical exercises on the driving safety facility begin, the correct seating position and handlebar posture as well as the adjustment of the side, rear and additional mirrors are discussed. During the breaks between the practical exercises, the participants can exchange ideas with each other.

Training contents for practical motorhome and caravan training are listed below; not all training contents are always offered at a course.

Training contents for motorhome training

• Correct loading
• Driving through narrow passages and thoroughfares, getting to know the outer dimensions of the vehicle
• Manoeuvring exercises and reversing with and without a guide, correct use of all mirrors
• Braking from different speeds and on different surfaces
• Exercises in directional stabilisation, especially from the point of view of load distribution and rocking up
• Avoiding an obstacle
• Driving through a slalom course, deepening gaze and steering technique
• Cornering in a circular course, controlled experience of centrifugal force
• Practical information especially for caravan drivers

Training content for caravan training

• Safe coupling and uncoupling
• Safe stowing and loading
• Manoeuvring exercises and reversing with and without a guide, correct use of all mirrors
• Driving through a course with curves and narrow places
• Braking with and without trailer
• Correctly avoiding an obstacle, braked and unbraked
• Information on driving with trailers
• Practical information especially for caravan drivers

One provider of driving safety training for motorhomes and caravans is the ADAC automobile club. The various driving safety centres throughout Germany offer driving safety training on the traffic training grounds; you can find information about this on the website https://www.sicherheitstraining.net/wohnmobil-wohnwagen-training,378.html. The ACE Auto Club Europa offers special courses for caravan drivers. Innomobil offers driving training for caravans. HYMER offers driving safety training for motorhomes and caravan combinations at various venues, regardless of whether the vehicle is a HYMER vehicle or not.

The driving safety training takes place on the providers' traffic practice areas. After a theoretical introduction, the practical exercises are carried out on the test track. Depending on the provider and course, participants can bring their own vehicle or drive on the provider's vehicles. If you would like to use your own vehicle, you should clarify in advance whether this is possible. The training is conducted in small groups of 8 to 12 people, the training duration is between ½ and 2 days. The Hannover Driving Safety Centre also offers three-hour after-work courses to refresh existing knowledge, but also for caravan newcomers.

The cost for a one-day course is 145 - 185 € depending on the provider, for a three-hour or half-day course about 90 €. Many insurance companies, automobile clubs and also caravan and motorhome manufacturers offer discounts for their customers and members.

Regardless of whether you are a beginner or an experienced driver: a driving safety training course for motorhomes or caravans is worthwhile for anyone who wants to travel with these vehicles. The aim of a driving safety training course is to recognise, avoid and survive dangers. In practical exercises with the motorhome or caravan you learn how to control your vehicle and react in dangerous situations. Driving training is offered, for example, by automobile clubs such as the ADAC or ACE or by motorhome and caravan manufacturers. A course lasts between ½ and 2 days, and the most popular one-day courses cost around €180 .