The Highways Agency has issued safety advice for those holidaymakers looking to tow their caravans and trailers with them.
With the coming of the holidays, the wish to take your home with you increases, but the Highways Agency has said that drivers must not do so carelessly.
"We are urging road users not to take their caravan, trailer or horse box out on the road without a proper maintenance check, especially if it has been left standing for most of the year," said Roy Wood, Highways Agency area performance manager for Cheshire.
According to the agency, motorways and major roads near rural areas or popular tourist destinations are the places most likely to be affected by trailer-related incidents such as breakdowns and debris on the asphalt resulting from damaged trailers.
The M6 in Cumbria and Cheshire and the M55 serving Blackpool were identified as the roads worst affected by these problems.
Accidents that involve caravans are the most common, although there have also been a number of instances of problems with horses being spooked while carried around in a horsebox, the agency reported.
And drivers who don't have the appropriate cover for breakdown and recovery can sometimes cause significant delays for other motorists: "It is astounding how many people break down without proper recovery in place. They place themselves and other road users at risk because they have to wait for longer on the hardshoulder while they wait to be recovered," said Dave Ryder, network operations manager in charge of North West Traffic Officer service.
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