By Zainab Al Nasseri — MUSCAT: Jan. 25 - With motorhomes, trailers and other kinds of recreation vehicles gaining in popularity, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) is urging customers to bone up on the regulations governing the use and safe operation of these vehicles in the Sultanate.
The domestic automotive industry has, of late, witnessed a surge in the demand for mobile homes, particularly caravans and campers, as more and more visitors and local residents discover the benefits of camping out amid the Sultanate’s great outdoors.
Fuelling the uptake of these mobile homes is the influx of dealers, the competitive prices and rentals on offer, and the wide choice of vehicles available on the market.
But, like motor vehicles, campers and caravans also come in different types and sizes and are thus subject to certain specifications and regulations, according to the ROP.
Single-unit motorhomes, weighing a maximum 750 kg, shall be no higher than two metres from the ground level, and no wider than two metres. As a trailer attached to a motor vehicle, it shall not extend more than three metres from the coupling.
Multi-unit trailers may weigh a maximum 2,000 kg, and should be no more than 2.5 metres wide, 2.5 metres high, and 5 metres from the coupling.
Additionally, the trailers must comply with specified safety and integrity criteria set out in the Traffic Law, the ROP said, warning that penalties may be applied where motorists contravene the provisions of the law.
As part of the licensing procedures, owners must ensure that their mobile homes have headlamps, license plate, and so on. Braking lights, for example, will also have to be installed on the trailer in order to alert the vehicle behind that the motorhome is braking.
Some motorhome owners have bemoaned what they have described as cumbersome licensing and registration criteria.
K Al Maamari, a caravan owner, who had purchased a locally-made trailer about a year ago, discovered to his chagrin that licensing procedures for custom-designed equipment can be complex.
“With foreign-made trailers costing as much as RO 50,000 apiece, I had settled for a locally made trailer that cost me only RO 2,800. But I approached the ROP for registering the trailer, I was informed that it did not conform to approved dimensions for such components. Plus, I need to obtain a separate registration plate for the trailer component,” Al Maamari said.
And while there are permits required from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the municipality for the use of trailer homes, the insurance law is also silent about coverage for trailer, he lamented.
With tourism growth likely to drive up the domestic demand for mobile homes, Al Maamari has pleaded for greater clarity and relaxed regulation to help make it possible for local folks to own a caravan or camper.
“In the past, it was okay to simply fix the registration plate on the trailer and get going. But current regulations require that the trailer be registered as a separate component,” he added.
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