Traveling in a motorhome is becoming increasingly popular. To ensure your trip is safe and you avoid expensive fines, there are certain mistakes you should watch out for when packing and loading your RV.
Modern mobile homes and caravans offer sufficient storage space to increase holiday comfort. However, dangerous situations can quickly arise if too much is packed and the vehicle is overloaded.
Overloaded camping vehicles not only impair driving stability, but also increase the risk of accidents and endanger other road users.
For this reason, there is a risk of high fines if motorhomes and caravans are overloaded. So that you can get an idea of the running costs, there is a simple overview of the fines in Germany and various European countries.
Load motorhomes and caravans correctly: what to look out for?
Taking anything with you can have serious consequences. Overloading significantly affects driving stability and causes the vehicle to swerve more easily in bends.
The braking distance is also longer, which drastically increases the risk of an accident. These dangers are often underestimated, which can have serious consequences for both the vehicle occupants and other road users.
Overloading is also punished by law. The ADAC North Rhine points out that even slight overloads can lead to problems.
The fines for overloaded mobile homes and caravans (up to 7.5 tons or two tons permissible total weight) are staggered in Germany and range from 10 euros for five percent overloading to 235 euros and one point in Flensburg for 30 percent overloading.
Not only in Germany: Overloading the mobile home can result in high penalties
Vacationers should be aware that the fines for overcharging in other European countries can sometimes be significantly higher than in Germany. Here are some examples:
- Belgium: Fines between 110 and 330 euros (Foreigners must pay in cash.)
- Denmark: Fines of 10 euros per percentage point over the permissible total weight up to 3.5 t.
- France: Fines between 135 and 750 euros.
- Italy: At least 41 euros, maximum penalty up to 1697 euros.
- Croatia: At least 40 euros.
- Luxembourg: Fines of 74 euros for 10 percent overcharging, up to 5000 euros thereafter.
- Netherlands: At least 130 euros, maximum penalty up to 850 euros.
- Austria: More than 2 percent overload: Minimum 36 euros, maximum penalty 5000 euros.
- Portugal: Fines between 60 and 300 euros.
- Switzerland: At least 85 euros if the excess is less than 100 kg, 170 euros over 100 kg.
- Spain: Fines between 300 and 4600 euros for 6 to 15 percent overload above the permissible total weight.
Overloading motorhomes and caravans can therefore entail serious risks and legal consequences. It is crucial to respect weight restrictions to ensure your own safety and that of other road users.
Before setting off on a journey, it is therefore worth carefully loading the vehicle and ensuring that all regulations, both domestic and international, are complied with.