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No Jelika you don't need to take a towing test to tow a trailer, see the posts by Gram and Rikster on the previous page:

You can tow a trailer up to 750 Kgs (most camping trailers and trailer tents are below this).

You can tow a bigger trailer "provided the gross train weight doesn`t exceed 3500kg.

Which means for example they can tow an average caravan of say 1200kgs with a towcar such as a Mondeo at around 1400kgs perfectly legally but would not be able to have a combination of say a Shogun at 2155kg and Compass Rallye at 1400kgs.

Same wth goods vehicles.....anyone with a car license pre 1997 can drive anything with a maximum weight of upto 7.5 tonnes whereas drivers passing after `97 are limited again to 3.5 tonnes"

The only thing not mentioned was that the gross trailer weight must not exceed the kerbweight of the towing vehicle.

You do not HAVE to do the Pass Plus course if you do not want to; many people do as it gives them valuable extra experience, there is no Test at the end of it, it can save you more than the cost of the course in discounts on your insurance and, on top of all that, many County Councils are now subsidising the cost.

Hope this explains it.

hi just had this thread posyed to me and read threw it

firstly with and formost everybody who tows on granfarther rights

thats all those that past there driving test before 97 dosnt have to re take any test

secondly and more impotant the law changed this month  1st of this month saw the itroduction of the driving directive

EC Directive 2002/15/EC on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities

this is long wided but basicly they want us to act like i and some other caravan/trailer drivers all ready do and obay tacho rules without having a tacho

somewere on the net you will be able to look this up probably dot

found it for you http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/6359-0.pdf

beaware this is 27 pages of mostly crap but there will be something in ther you probably wasnt aware of happy ready and remember so long as you take breaks dont use the thurd lane stay below 60MPH not 70 like i see some doing  theywill leave you alone (usually)

Mart / Bev,

the link you have in your post above refers to a Road Traffic Act enacted in Eire - it has no bearing on mainland UK traffic law (although it is mostly a direct 'take' from our Road Traffic Regulations/Acts). The EC Directive you mention concerns road transport workers - it doesn't affect those of us who hit the road to get away from it all!! Technically, should you so choose, you could drive all night and all day, and there's nothing anybody could do about it (until you fell off the road through tiredness of course!!).

As you so rightly point out, you can't go far wrong if you stick to tacho rules ( now they are bedtime reading! ), and take a break once in a while (it's 45 minutes required every 4 1/2 hours if you really want to know!).

Again, stick to 60 and you'll be left alone............

Regards

Glyn W