FORMER top cop Gary Duncan is appalled at the driving standards of some caravanners.

"It's a powder keg waiting to explode," warned the 56-year-old highly experienced traveller, who has twice hauled a caravan around Australia since retiring in 2007.

"Some of their actions are extremely dangerous to themselves, their passengers and other road users," he told Caravanning News.

Gary, from south-west Sydney, hit the road after 26 years with New South Wales Police, retiring as a chief inspector.

"There seems to be more and more collisions involving caravans and all seem to be caused by the proverbial 'gust of wind' ... even on a calm day. None of them was caused by inexperience, speed, poor loading, insufficient safety equipment like a WDH, inattentiveness or just plain old stupidity," the Australian Caravan Club member said.

In addition to his round-Australia marathons, he has taken many interstate and intrastate trips, his latest sojourn taking him to Perth, Albany and Esperance.

"I saw many incidents involving caravans and I am getting increasingly concerned with the poor driving ability of many caravanners," he explained.

"I have noticed this over the past couple of years.

"There are many, many more capable caravanners out there, but they are not the ones that usually concern us as we never seem to cross their paths in a dangerous way due to their experience and driving ability."

Gary told how he recently experienced two occasions when caravanners created dangerous situations by pulling off the road but still leaving their caravans protruding more than a metre on to the carriageways.

"I spoke to one elderly gentleman who denied his dangerous driving and was extremely arrogant about it," he recalled.

"He would not listen to me, claiming he was an excellent driver and didn't make mistakes so no one should tell him what to do!

"I have come across this type of behaviour many times over the years and I believe it is something that needs to be addressed.

"No one likes being told they are wrong and I am one of them. But I do admit my mistakes as I am not the best driver in the world, although I am very experienced and capable."

Gary believed people should be able to take information on board if it would help them to become a better driver.

"There are many people hitting the roads today in their 'vans and many of these have little or no experience, like us all at one point.

"How many times have we watched someone try and reverse their 'van and when they get themselves in a bit of strife we have tried to help them only to be told they were OK?

"So, we sit and watch them over the next 15 minutes try to get it into a 'van spot.

"How many people cannot reverse a 'van at all? If that happened at a busy boat ramp, there would be all out war!"

Gary explained how during his caravan travels he had been run off the road, cut off when someone pulled back onto the highway from a rest stop or side of the road, had someone do a U-turn in front of him from the side of the road and thought he was in the right because he had his blinker on ... and many other incidents which could have been life threatening.

"The thing that concerns me is that they were all caused by caravanners," he added.