Horrific towing stories abound, resulting even in fatal accidents. Rule of thumb learning needs to be replaced with more formal training, writes Caroline Madden
Last year I heard the details of a gruesome accident involving a car pulling a horsebox down a steep incline. According to a friend of the driver, the weight of the box when loaded with two horses exceeded the weight of the car, and this contributed to the crash. An inadequate braking system may also have been at fault. Either way, it seems that the car skidded and the horsebox jackknifed, resulting in a fatal accident as the driver died.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. Horrific towing stories abound: caravans unhitching from the towing vehicle while travelling at speed, rotting horsebox floors disintegrating under the weight of a horse (again while travelling at speed), drivers dropping off a friend and accidentally hitting them with their trailers. The list goes on.
Why do these crashes happen? Obviously there can be many factors at play, including sheer bad luck. But it can't help that very few drivers on our roads, other than commercial drivers, have had any formal training or lessons on safety and manoeuvring when towing.
Even if you haven't the slightest intention of ever hitching up a caravan, trailer or horsebox to your car or jeep, if you have a look at your (full) driving licence, you'll see that you're allowed to tow a vehicle weighing up to 750kg. This covers most small trailers, for example, or light caravans and some empty horseboxes.
According to Mike Kavanagh of Irish Advanced Motorists (IAM), every aspect of driving is affected when towing, even if the vehicle being towed is just a light trailer. Your braking is going to be affected, your handling, too. The line you'll take on corners will be affected, Kavanagh explains. You'll have to allow yourself more time to pick up speed, and more time to reduce it.
Even simple manoeuvres like taking right turns become more difficult, as drivers have to allow for their extended length and reduced acceleration power when crossing the path of oncoming traffic. Crosswinds, horses shifting their weight in the box, an incorrectly loaded trailer - all of these factors can reduce the stability of the vehicle being towed.
It takes Kavanagh a full 20 minutes to give me a rundown of the basic safety issues relating to towing: what to do if the trailer starts to snake, how visibility is affected, the importance of extension mirrors, ensuring that the trailer is secure, checking that lights are connected up properly, how best to distribute weight when loading a trailer and so on.
However, judging by the speed that people zip along with trailers in tow, it seems that many are oblivious even to the rudimentary fact that an 80km/h speed limit applies to towing, let alone having a grasp of the weight ratios to ensure their trailer isn't overloaded.
Kavanagh also says that it's not unknown for drivers to forget they are pulling a trailer behind them, particularly if they're driving a powerful jeep which isn't noticeably dragged by the vehicle in tow. Objections have frequently been voiced in the past that the driving test doesn't examine people's ability to drive at night or on motorways, yet once they have passed they're licensed to do both. Surely the same argument applies to towing?
Given that cars handle and manoeuvre quite differently when pulling another vehicle, and given that a full driving licence automatically entitles you to tow anything up to 750kg, shouldn't drivers' towing skills be tested, even in the form of an optional towing test?
Instead, a laissez-faireattitude prevails. Some caravan clubs give instruction, but more often than not drivers learn as they go along, picking up various bits of advice and vague rules of thumb from friends. The problem when you're trying to pick up advice is that sometimes you get good advice and sometimes you don't, Kavanagh says.
According to the Department of Transport, drivers must hold a category EB driving licence, (which requires them to pass a driving test with trailer in tow), if they wish to tow a vehicle weighing more than 750kg. Many horseboxes exceed this even when empty; caravans loaded with heavy camping gear can easily break the limit, and even small trailers can carry a load far in excess of this.
However, in Kavanagh's experience, drivers holding a regular B licence are often unaware that they have gone over the 750kg limit and therefore are not properly licensed. Drivers can also be unaware of the insurance implications of towing, he says.
Some policies automatically allow for pulling a trailer, but some policies won't - it has to be specifically mentioned, he explains.
It's clear there's more to towing than meets the eye. As with any aspects of driving it's usually better to learn from an expert rather than by trial and error - so if you're thinking of hitching up, why not take a few lessons?