Hi all, just been reading another post about towing mirrors and wondered if you by law need them for towing Trailor tent. Any advice please thanx in advance
Amy
If someone stands at each of the the rear corners of your trailer when your car and trailer is in a straight line, then you must be able to see him/her and the rear corners in your mirrors.
If you cannot see them or the rear corners, then you need towing mirrors.
Personally I always use them as they afford me a better view of what is coming up on my rear.
You must have an adequate view of both sides of the rear of the towing vehicle and along both sides of the trailer, if you haven't you need extension mirrors.
Mike
------------- Some people have nothing much to say, but you often have to listen for a while before you realise it!
lets not make this hard,as said above if the unit is not wider than the tow car(and don't know any tt's that would be)then you don't need them.not only that you would be breaking the law in useing them.as your mirrors should not stick out more than 250mm wider than what you are towing.
Don't want to get into an arguement but no one is making it hard. The question was "I wondered if by law you needed them" my answer states what the law says.
Mike
------------- Some people have nothing much to say, but you often have to listen for a while before you realise it!
The law requires you to be able to see when sitting in the driving position for a distance of 20 metres to the rear, and from that point 4 metres out into the carriageway on the offside, and along the kerb to the nearside.
This is from the widest part of the vehicle or towed vehicle, it is not true that you have to see the rear corners of the towed vehicle, unless it is wider than the car. In the case of my TT, you have no chance of seeing the corners if you are driving in a straight line. So if the TT is not wider than the car there is no requirement.
Actually there is no Law, as such that relates to caravan towing mirrors, but there are two (contradictory) rulings that were laid down by DOT in 1971 and again in 2003.
The only Law bit, relates to the type of mirror used and that must be "type approved and E-marked".
So if you feel that you would be safer using extended mirrors, as laong as you use the correct type, you will be fine. However, if you feel that you do not require them, then don't use them.
Our last caravan was not wider than the car and so we did not use extended mirrors.
You are right, the law relates to rear visibility zones behind you at all times, it is not specific to caravans or trailers. It applies to the car with and without the towed vehicle.