How many tow Mirrors do you need legally

[saint-spoon]

I was told by the Police after my wing mirror was smashed off that you only need one rear viewing mirror to drive a car, is this the same when towing or do you require a towing mirror on both sides as suggested by the Milenco website? I have seen loads of cars with on the drivers side mirror extended and this would make sense if I am driving down narrow roads but before I invest in new towing mirrors I thought that i should check.

 

[Sproket]

Read this .

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I'll leave the details to others, but basically when towing you legally need to see down both sides of the van and as vans are generally wider than the towing vehicle then mirrors are required on both sides to accomplish this.

My son has had a broken near side mirror for several years and it passes the MOT every time because, as you said, when not towing you only need one rear view mirror. He ran that car into the ground and has now treated himself to a new Range Rover Sport automatic, but he doesn't even have a van.

 

[saint-spoon]

Interesting article regarding the legal requirements for tow mirrors fitted to vehicles first used on or after January 2010...

 

[carper2]

I watched a programme called Caravan finder a couple of years ago and Graham was with the police on the M5 and according to the Police to be legal you had to have a towing mirror on both sides. If you didn't then you could be given a £30 fine for each mirror that was missing.

Les

 

[Hutch]

SS, in the CC article, the picture that shows the Grand Aero, mirror fitted, I have the fitment arm pointing down, so the mirror is more or less level with the cars mirror, it works well.

 

[chrisbee1]

I was told by the Police after my wing mirror was smashed off that you only need one rear viewing mirror to drive a car, is this the same when towing or do you require a towing mirror on both sides as suggested by the Milenco website? I have seen loads of cars with on the drivers side mirror extended and this would make sense if I am driving down narrow roads but before I invest in new towing mirrors I thought that i should check.

The police need to hone their knowledge then unless you were driving a very old car.

According to the Construction and Use Regulations 1986, all vehicles must have at least two mirrors unless they were first used before the 1st of August 1978 (in which case one is sufficient).

If the rear-view mirror is obscured then a vehicle first used after the 1st of August 1978 must have both of its side mirrors intact. Failing that, the vehicle must have an undamaged rear-view mirror in place, and a working driver’s wing mirror also. Mirrors which are intact must also be in a position which makes the road behind visible to the motorist.

 

[saint-spoon]

well that is as maybe, I had my rear view and near side mirrors in tact but I wasn't towing then. All change again from Jan 2010. Cars first used after that time have to have EU conforming tow mirrors as well or else you could get 3 points and a £1,000 fine according to the stuff I read at work this afternoon (bored to be honest).

 

[Raywood]

Having had a mirror break when I was attaching it before leaving a site I now have a couple of older mirrors in the caravan so I can carry on if a problem arises with my usual ones.

 

[ProfJohnL]

As far as I am concerend, I have always wanted to have both driver and passenger side mirrors for towing to give a good degree of rearward vission alongboth sides of the trailer/caravan regardless of the minimum requirments for any given vehilce in solo configuration. I cannot conceive any competent driver that wouldn't want to have good sight lines all around their outfit.

 

[Hutch]

As I have a camera on the back of the van as a lot of others do. I can see very nicely behind the van, and to the side by about 2 mtrs .
And along the side with my normal mirrors, for the required distance so do not really need extra mirrors , but the Law states. Until legislation changes. I will put on the mirrors, so that I know if I can get between six straw bales.

 

[ProfJohnL]

As I have a camera on the back of the van as a lot of others do. I can see very nicely behind the van, and to the side by about 2 mtrs .
And along the side with my normal mirrors, for the required distance so do not really need extra mirrors , but the Law states. Until legislation changes. I will put on the mirrors, so that I know if I can get between six straw bales.

Hello Hutch.

THe law requires the driver to have sight along both sides of the trailer (In a straight configuration) so they can see trailer width + 4M to each side at twenty meters from the driver. AS it stands Cameras are not permitted to replace proper mirrors, besides which,as they are usually located on the rear of the trailer, they do not provide the sight of the length of the trailer. Cameras can be used in addition to mirrors but not to replace - yet.

 

[Hutch]

I have noticed that Milenco, have brouht out extended, mirror arms, I would think for the people towing the slightly wider (European )caravans.

 

[Woodentop]

I was told by the Police after my wing mirror was smashed off that you only need one rear viewing mirror to drive a car, is this the same when towing or do you require a towing mirror on both sides as suggested by the Milenco website? I have seen loads of cars with on the drivers side mirror extended and this would make sense if I am driving down narrow roads but before I invest in new towing mirrors I thought that i should check.

I haven't read the full thread in case this has already been stated, but the law requires a vehicle to have two rear view mirrors one of which must be external and one of which must be useable - hence why many vehicles at one time only had a driver's door mirror externally.

In respect of the comment about having a rear view camera, is that legal? It used to be the law that you could not have a screen display that you could see whilst driving (forward) - or was this just for TV progs?

 

[chrisbee1]

Yes it is legal. Screens showing the road adjacent to the vehicle, screens showing navigation information and screens showing vehicle data are all permitted to be on and viewable from the drivers seat whilst the vehicle is in motion. TV screens are illegal. Media device screens are a bit of a grey area as you're perfectly entitled to have a phone mounted on the dash and there are no regulations to say you can't look at the screen but obviously laptops etc are illegal.

 

[Dustydog]

I have noticed that Milenco, have brouht out extended, mirror arms, I would think for the people towing the slightly wider (European )caravans.

Are these something new?
My Smats are 15 years old and still work with a 2.28m wide unit.

 

[Sproket]

I have noticed that Milenco, have brouht out extended, mirror arms, I would think for the people towing the slightly wider (European )caravans.

Are these something new?
My Smats are 15 years old and still work with a 2.28m wide unit.

They have been out for quite a few years, more than likely when the change of max width of van came into force to 2.5mts

 

[Raywood]

While a camera might be useful it cannot show where the sides are in a tight manouvre or a car overtaking alongside you so mirrors are essential.

 

[saint-spoon]

I have noticed that Milenco, have brouht out extended, mirror arms, I would think for the people towing the slightly wider (European )caravans.

Are these something new?
My Smats are 15 years old and still work with a 2.28m wide unit.

During my investigation I read that if your tug was first used after January 2010 then you mirrors need to conform to the respective EU standards and be marked as such. if your mirrors are 15 years old and fitted to a new car you may be breaking the law. How bizarre is that?

 

[ProfJohnL]

I have noticed that Milenco, have brouht out extended, mirror arms, I would think for the people towing the slightly wider (European )caravans.

Are these something new?
My Smats are 15 years old and still work with a 2.28m wide unit.

During my investigation I read that if your tug was first used after January 2010 then you mirrors need to conform to the respective EU standards and be marked as such. if your mirrors are 15 years old and fitted to a new car you may be breaking the law. How bizarre is that?

Not bizarre when you think about it. Older mirrors that do not conform to the latest specifications for impact resistance, and the way the mirror will break up on impact represent a greater hazard. As such the use of them will impair the road vehicles safety rating.

 

[saint-spoon]

I get all that, but it would make sense to legislate on new mirrors not what you can out on cars. The legislation as I read it meant that the car had to be compliant which includes any fixtures and fittings you choose to add such as mirrors. Surely just legislate against what mirrors you can use; Any mirror manufactured after a date must comply with these standards sort of thing. If a caravanner has been using the same mirrors for 30 years and upgrades their tug to something that is after 2010 then their mirrors unwittingly make the car illegal because even if they meet the standards they won't be marked as such.

 

[Dustydog]

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&rct=j&q=e-marked towing mirrors&ved=0ahUKEwi45-iU5pPNAhWjIcAKHT7rDugQFggxMAA&url=http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/1022769/rear-view-mirrors-mo.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEQOUGCtoeSKlfc4_bTqT0DeTGjtg&sig2=3dsn1iIImvuXzlXyu2i4cw
The Smats are marked E11 .So hopefully they are compliant.
In reality I cannot believe our hard pressed police are going to check tugger's mirrors. :blink:

 

[Nelsun2]

They (the Police) should however be stopping caravan drivers without any extended mirrors.

 

[ProfJohnL]

They (the Police) should however be stopping caravan drivers without any extended mirrors.

Not necessarily. It all depends on the width of the trailer, If the standard mirrors on the tow vehicle are wide enough to give the full length view down the sides of the trailer and the required field of view beyond, then you do not need extension mirrors, However 99.9% of caravans are wider than their tow cars and thus will need extension mirrors.

 

[Raywood]

There seems to be very little enforcement of the regulations but it might be picked after an accident. It is not worth the risk for me.