Towing... what's the law!?

[Nick_Micouris 0]

Going to tow a mates car from Hemel HEmpstead to NE London tonight. What are the laws? Max speeds? Which roads cant you use? I.E. Are motorways allowed?

Thanks!

Nick

[jedi-knight83 0]

i think you actually need a licence (or something adding to your licence) to tow.... or maybe thats just for newer licences..

 

60mph max for towing though afaik but all roads are allowed!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

You can't tow on Motorways but Dual-carriageways are OK. Try and keep up with the flow of traffic is the best advice and obviously the person behind will have un-assisted brakes, so no heavy braking or abrupt acceleration either.

[Nick_Micouris 0]

okay - cheers - so, do you really need a special license?? I didnt know that!

[jedi-knight83 0]

i know i certainly do. i need to get it added to mine and i got mine in 2000

[dazzyvr6 0]

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/dl_towing_trailers.htm you only need a special licence if you have only recently passed your test,and im pretty sure you can tow on motorways,you always see caravans on there,but it depends how your towing,you cant use ropes etc

[Nick_Micouris 0]

okay - cheers - so, do you really need a special license?? I didnt know that!

[Nick_Micouris 0]

sorry - didnt mean to double post!!!

[Andy Brookes 0]

I towed a friends MK2 GTI behind my old shitron Xantia from Bournemouth to Southampton, via the M27 and M271. Didnt realise it was not allowed!

 

We used one of those solid bars, was very good. Hate to admit it but we reached 80 odd on the A31, its a very boring road if going slow!! As long as the towed car does most of the braking the bars are very safe.

[Blue_Joe 0]

Towing another car on the motorway is not illegal providing your license permits so check the codes on your license. If you have recently passed your test you may not be allowed so check carefully.

 

Rules for towing on motorway:

 

60MPH Speed Limit

 

The car must be towed using suitable equipment ie. A proper and good condition tow rope and correct towing points for the car as in towing eye

 

You are not permitted to use the 3rd lane unless: You are passing an abnormally wide load usually under police escort or 1 or more of the lanes are closed.

 

Hope this helps.

[Storm 0]

Most of this is obvious if you've done it before. Remember safety, brake early. If you are using a rope the guy behind has to "manage" the tension, ie do not let it go slack, you can rip towing eyes off with sudden jerks. So if your breaking down to a junction he brakes slightly harder to keep the rope tight. When he feels the pull he lets go of the brake asap. If the guy behind dives over the rope - it will get ugly.

 

Good luck. :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The bars Brooksey mentioned are much better for this. I've also seen some kind of triangulated towing setup that allows 1 person to drive two cars, so long as you take the steering lock off the towed car.

 

Freaked the hell out of me when I saw it. Some guy was zooming down the road with a another car 3 inches behind it with no driver!. When it stopped at the lights, all became clear 8)

[jedi-knight83 0]

the 3 bar idea is great....they use it all the time in america. you see a huge RV towing an equally huge yank car (for when they park the RV).

[Henny 0]

Towing a car on a motorway with a rope IS illegal (and also not particularly safe!) It has to be either a fixed bar or an A frame (see below)

 

I think you guys are all getting confused with the 2 different types of towing...

 

1) towing something designed to be towed via a tow bar fitted to the lead vehicle (trailers, A frames, caravans etc... )

 

2) towing another vehicle with a rope or fixed bar using the towing eyes on one or both cars

 

There are distinct seperate rules for each type of towing as regards to who can, where you can/can't, how fast etc etc etc....

 

It's also a REALLY good idea to check with your insurance company to make sure you are insured for towing (of either kind) as some will refuse to pay out if the car being towed is involved in an accident as it's not road worthy (why else would you be towing it) AND some insist that you inform them if you are about to tow another vehicle as it becomes seen as part of your vehicle in the eyes of the law and so if you are in an accident the towing vehicle's driver's insurance gets the hammering... :|

 

kevhaywire, the bar set up you're on about is an A frame and clips onto a tow bar... all you need to do is to leave the key in the ignition of the car being towed so the steering lock doesn't come on and then you just need the one driver to move both cars... Used them a lot to move cars about in my time... 8)

 

If you're in any doubt, ASK someone in either the citizens advice or your local police station... 8)

[Blue_Joe 0]

Right

 

Here goes the official West Midlands Police Motorway Divisions answer (it's funny as this is what I originally wrote, then deleted as I checked a site on the web which is what I quoted earlier.)

 

You are only allowed to tow a vehicle on the motorway to recover it off the motorway at the first available junction and only when safe to do so.

 

It is an offence to tow another vehicle further than the first available exit junction.

 

It is and offence to enter onto a motorway whilst towing a vehicle

 

This applies for any type of towing devices including fixed bar towing.

 

Thanks to the friendly Motorway Police for the info and apologies for my misquote earlier. (The Internet a huge resource of sometimes utterly useless information!!!!!) :D