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Caravan Caravan (Europe) Caravan Caravan In Europe, the origins of caravans and caravanning can be traced back to travelling gypsies and showmen who spent most of their lives in horse drawn caravans. The world's first leisure caravan was built by the Bristol Carriage Company in 1880 for Dr. W. Gordon-Stables. It was an 18 ft design, based upon their Bible Wagons, which the Doctor named "Wanderer". Modern European caravans come in a range of sizes, from tiny two-berth caravans with no toilet and only basic kitchen facilities, to large, twin-axle, six-berth caravans. In the UK, 2003 saw a huge increase in the popularity of caravans and caravanning. This was due to several factors, including excellent summer weather, fear of travelling abroad due to worries over terrorism and large increases in house prices, which provided people with the ability to raise capital by re-mortgaging their homes. The National Caravan Council now estimate that the Caravanning industry which includes Motorhomes, Touring (caravans designed to be hitched to a car and towed to a site) and Static Caravans and Mobile Homes (caravans designed to be transported to a permanent site, where they are anchored to the ground) is now worth over £1bn (€1.5bn/US$1.7bn) to the UK economy alone. The growth in popularity of caravanning has also been enhanced by the improvements in quality and facilities making caravan holidays possible at any time of the year not just summer months. In the UK, The Association of Chief Police Officers estimates that some 4,000 touring caravans are stolen each year, nearly a quarter of all new caravans sold annually. As a result many insurers request additional security features to be purchased, as a general rule at least one wheel lock and one hitch lock. The cost of insurance from specialist caravan insurers remains relatively low especially compared with other vehicle insurance premiums. The CRIS registration service has also helped track theft, the majority of which crime is of older caravans which have not been issued with CRIS numbers at manufacture. The system operates much the same as the Vehicle Registration Service by the DVLA, but is currently voluntary and subject to a fee. Caravans are used by people in all walks of life, although common traits are the love of outdoor life and a willingness to help other caravanners. Some make use of their caravans only during their annual holidays (vacations), whilst others take regular breaks at the thousands of caravan and camping sites around the world. Jeremy Clarkson, host of popular BBC motoring programme Top Gear, has publicly expressed deep loathing for caravans and has destroyed over a dozen of them on the show, culminating in the team going on a 'caravaning holiday' with a Kia Cerato in 2006, during which they crashed and then set fire to their van, apparently accidentally. A caravan is also blown up (by various means) in most episodes of Brainiac: Science Abuse (this is usually supported by Host/Presenter Richard Hammond, also a co-host of Top Gear). This dislike generally arises because touring caravans travel slower than and so hold up other traffic; a common sight on UK holiday routes is a single caravan followed by a long queue of cars. Caravans are particularly resented, more than other slow vehicles, because unlike tractors or lorries -- with which they share legal limitations on speed compared to cars -- they are perceived as lacking any necessary economic purpose. This attitude in car drivers can lead to potentially dangerous attempts to overtake a caravan in an unsuitable part of the road, or in the face of oncoming traffic. |
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