Nissan and IAM issue towing advice to Caravan Enthusiasts

A new study suggests that increasing numbers of drivers are towing caravans without proper training.

The study undertaken by Nissan suggests that thousands of motorists in the UK could be posing a safety risk by towing caravans with no training.

It is believed that caravanning is growing in popularity once again, with a fifth of the 3,000 respondents surveyed planning on a caravan or camping trip this year. 

Unfortunately the research also revealed that 40% of those planning on towing caravans, trailers or boats have had no training.

As a result Nissan have teamed up with the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) to give guidance to help novice towers.

Tim Shallcross, Head of Technical Policy for IAM commented:

"The results of the Nissan research highlight a key knowledge gap in towing legislation and safety guidelines. We encourage new and experienced 'towers' to ensure they are correctly informed as to their vehicle's towing capabilities and to follow essential safety guidelines."

IAM and Nissan have made the following recommendations:

1. Check that you are legally allowed to tow. Requirements may differ according to when the driving licence was issued and it may be dependent on your car insurance policy.


2. Check your vehicle's towing limit. It's equally important to check the maximum braked and unbraked towing weights - as outlined in the vehicle handbook.


3. Know towing speed limits. For motorway and dual-carriageway driving the speed limit is set at 60mph. For single carriageways the speed should not exceed 50mph (unless stated otherwise).


4. Give yourself more time and space for accelerating and braking. This will help you to avoid accidents whilst on the road and potential car or caravan insurance claims.


5. When approaching a hill it's important to select a lower gear in plenty of time. When going uphill this gives you more power. Going down reduces the strain on your vehicle's brakes.

Source: http://cdn.practicalcaravan.com/blog/nissan-urges-new-caravanners-stay-safe

Static Caravans - The Benefits To Holidaymakers

Do you have a static caravan? Maybe you're considering buying one for your annual holidays? If this is the case then you will no doubt want a little more information about static caravans and the benefits they offer.

The main benefit of a static caravan is that they offer a home, away from home at a portion of the price of a full sized holiday home.

However, they offer many of the same features of a full sized house – including: 

• Separate living and sleeping quarters,

• Double glazing on the windows 

• Quality fittings

The only real problem arises when you go to look for a caravan residential park to install your static caravan. However, there are so many of these around the UK you shouldn't have too much trouble finding one to suit your needs.

It's important to relax when you're on holiday and the vast majority of residential parks understand that. This is why they're setup with CCTV and community watch programs - giving you peace of mind that your holiday home is being well looked after whether you're there or not.

Buying a static caravan could mean that you don't need to blow the family budget on an expensive holiday abroad - saving you a substantial amount in the long-run.

The other thing to consider - if no one is staying in it the caravan can even be let out to provide you with an additional income. However, you may need to check with the residential park owners before sub-letting to ensure this is allowed.

If you already own a caravan check out Motaquote’s competitive motorhome and caravan insurance - quality cover at a reasonable price.

Motaquote Staff Wear Hats In Support Of Brain Tumour Research

Motaquote staff wore a variety of interesting hats on "wear a hat day" and raised a whopping £532 for Brain Tumour Research back in March.

Commenting on the event, Motaquote employee Robert Mumford said:

"I decided to support this charity as a result of being personally affected by a brain tumour. I have had numerous operations to try to remove a long-standing left-sided temporal cyst which became apparent back in 1991. Over the years I have received various treatments to combat this and have ultimately needed operations to try to remove the cyst, which would enable me to lead a normal life."

Robert added that three other members of his family had also been treated for brain tumour related complications.

A brain tumour reportedly affects and kills more children and adults under 40 than any other form of cancer. Around 16,000 people a year are diagnosed with this condition, with only 14% surviving beyond five years - 50% less than any other form of cancer.

Motaquote supports a number of charities – including Brain Tumour Research, Help The Heroes and the Jackson Llewllyn Tribute Fund. To find out more about the charities we support please visit the Motaquote Charities page.

Source: http://www.braintumourresearch.org/motaquote

How To Deal With Flooding

With the recent flooding alerts released by the Environment Agency, Motaquote have put together a short guide on how to deal with flooding.

Here are a few quick tips 

If your home floods the primary thing to concern yourself with is your own safety and that of your family.

If you are concerned that the house is about to flood you should:

• Switch off all electricity and gas supplies.

• Put plugs in sinks and baths and weigh them down with heavy objects to help prevent water rising up.

• Move important items to an area of safety.

• Tune into a local radio station on a battery or wind-up radio as local radio can give you updates on evacuation procedures.

• The Environment Agency also recommends that you are prepared to move quickly to get yourself and your family to safety. You should put safety first and listen to any advice issued by the Police and other emergency services.

Other things to be aware of if it floods:

Flooding is extremely dangerous as it can expose other dangers such as fallen power lines, trees, burst manhole covers and water contamination. 

In addition to this, according to the Environment Agency, 6 inches of fast flowing flood water can knock you over.

The Environment Agency recommend against driving or walking through floods as this could prove extremely hazardous – instead be aware of any safety advice or procedures issued by local emergency services.

As a homeowner you are also strongly recommended to review your home insurance policy to make sure you are covered in the event of a flood.

Motaquote Shows Caravan Enthusiasts The Love

The boys from Motaquote attended the South & West Wales Caravan & Motorhome Show in Carmarthen earlier this month, spending time getting to know local and national caravan and motorhome enthusiasts alike.

In typical Motaquote fashion we wanted to showcase our superb caravan insurance product – available for static, mobile and motorhomes. We’re pleased to say that it went down a treat (along with the bags of sweets the boys were handing out to all interested parties).

The Motaquote team thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were the talk of the show… yet again! With free gifts including bags of sweets and caravan tea-towels handed out to all and sundry!

With visitors gossiping about Motaquote’s excellent customer service and great free gifts we had a great influx of visitors clamouring to talk to us. In short - the event proved a roaring success!

Commenting on behalf of Motaquote, team leader Ceri Jones stated:

“The free gifts with the customers went down a treat! All the passers-by were talking about our free tea towels!!! I would definitely do the show again.”

If you missed us at the Caravan and Motorhome show you can still get a great deal on your caravan insurance.

Visit our caravan insurance page to find out more about the benefits that are included in the policy.

Motaquote takes to the road for the Camarthen Caravan Show

Motaquote are proud to be attending the Daffodil Events Caravan and Motorhome Show in Camarthen.

We offer comprehensive, affordable static and mobile caravan insurance as well as motorhome insurance. It's ideal cover for caravan enthusiasts looking to take to the road for that much needed holiday.

Motaquote also attended the event last year and enjoyed a lot of attention thanks to our exclusive Welsh caravan teatowels and our sunny demenour! 

If you're interested but still want to find out more please check out the video below to see the event in action. If you're lucky you might even get a glimpse of us!

 

Need to know more about the event? Please visit the official website for more information.

Need to know more about what we cover? Check out our caravan insurance policies.

London Olympics Almost Upon Us

The London 2012 Olympics are rapidly coming up and it looks set to be an enjoyable event with a wealth of British talent.

The London Olympics are likely to be a lot of fun and many people from all over the World are going to be attending... in fact many people from our corner of the UK - Wales.

Unsurprisingly many of us will probably be driving down to London (at least those amongst us tough enough to brave the M25 and the busy London streets). 

However, as I'm sure you're aware, breakdowns do happen - especially on longer trips. So have you considered breakdown insurance cover should the worst happen?

Picture this - you're driving down the M40 (or the road of your choice) and your car starts to splutter and smoke - in short you have to pull over. What happens if you don't have some form of breakdown cover? Well - for a start you could miss the Olympic event you've driven all that way to watch or you may have to fork out your hard earned money for a breakdown service and replacement vehicle.

However, if you take out breakdown cover with Motaquote, for example, you get a whole host of benefits that can help ensure that you get to the event in time.

Motaquote's breakdown cover will cover you for all manner of issues - such as roadside assistance and repairs to get you going again, overnight accommodation (should you need it), a replacement hire vehicle to get you where you need to go and more.

To find out more about how our specialist cover can help make sure that you get to the London Olympics check out our breakdown cover page.